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Plantain is the most important crop for the Peruvian Amazonian population, developed in recent alluvial soils rich in nutrients, but fragile and susceptible to degradation. Therefore, the impact of permanent cultivation was evaluated, through modelling, on indicators of recent alluvial soil quality and production in plantations of Musa paradisiaca L. var. Harton, in the Aguaytia River valley, Peru. The treatments were areas with permanent plantain plantations of 2 (T0), 15 (T1), 4 (T2), and 5 (T3) years of management, evaluating soil physicochemical indicators and plantain production indicators. The results show significant differences for all yield and soil indicators evaluated, except for bulk density (Bd), clay fraction, soil organic matter (OM) and N. The modelling determined a significant positive impact on Bd and a significant negative impact on pH, P, pseudostem diameter and height, commercial fingers and bunch weight. In conclusion, the modelling shows trends of quality and yield reduction in 15 years of permanent management of plantain Var. Harton, and compromises the sustainability of the agroecosystem in the medium term.

Land use changes together with riverbed regulations to avoid the annual floods affect the ecosystem of floodplain forests. Later subsequent revitalization measures, transboundary controlled river management, wetland restoration, and integrated planning were realized to reduce the negative effect of groundwater dropping and other environmental problems. This study aimed to follow the dynamic of groundwater level, soil properties and forest vitality as affected by climate change. The continuous dataset (2019–2022) of soil physical and hydrophysical parameters and tree radial growth parameters were obtained. Groundwater level was evaluated by z-score and the means, and standard deviation values were considered. The monthly assessment of soil and climatic conditions showed that the uneven distribution of rainfall and the increase in temperatures have significantly affected the soil hydrological regime and forest growth. Continual monitoring is necessary to prepare projection models, which can help better understand both the soil and tree growth parameters in the changing environment.

Grassland as a part of farmland is important for agrobiodiversity, soil protection and agricultural production (grazing, hay production). In the Czech Republic, grassland area increases with increasing altitude. In this study we evaluated the period 1966–2021 and the change in grassland area in different locations in South Bohemia region: fertile lowlands (Písek, České Budějovice, Tábor districts) and marginal uplands (Český Krumlov, Prachatice districts). Data on land use including the share of grassland were obtained from the Czech Cadastral and Surveying Office and Czech Statistical Office. In the upland districts, there is the largest share of grassland areas in the whole region. The prevalence of grasslands is probably due to the geographic and climatic conditions, which are challenging here. Our research shows the results of changes in grassland areas between 1967 and 2021, with regard to the assessed districts. The difference in the percent area of grassland in 2021 compared to 1967 is –0.04 to –1.77 for lowlands, and +1.45 to +5.99 for uplands. Despite this, uplands farmers practice relatively extensive farming methods and extensive grazing due to low ruminant numbers. Although farmers maintain relevant carbon sinks, it is unlikely to increase the carbon stocks per hectare of extensive grasslands on an annual basis, which would be a barrier to participation in a carbon farming system.

Advancements in technology have recently enabled to assess soil aggregate stability (SAS) using digital devices. To address the need for a faster and more efficient method of measuring SAS, we have developed a simple yet effective approach using a specialized device. The innovative method named SlakeLight involves measuring the changes in light transmittance as aggregates undergo slaking. The device consists of the measuring chamber, which is placed on a LED light source with a surface-homogeneous distribution of luminosity. During the disintegration process of aggregates immersed in water, reduction in the light emitted to the photodiodes is proportional to SAS. The functionality of the device was tested using topsoil samples from two field fertilization trials. The recorded SAS_trans values were compared with the wet sieving method (WSA) and SLAKE test. The new method showed a strong correlation with both reference methods (r = 0.89 for WSA, r = –0.86 for SLAKE). The device was able to detect a statistically significant differences in SAS between the grassland and the cropland at both sites. Although differences in SAS_trans were not significant between different fertilization treatments unlike WSA, the simplicity and speed of the measurement increase the potential of the method for practical implementation in agriculture, surpassing the limitations of traditional and labor-intensive laboratory techniques.

The paper proposes a new soil evaluation system using the principle of the Saaty method. The Saaty method has been modified and named Soil Assessment System (SAS). Significance weights are assigned to individual soil characteristics (indicators). This provides a more detailed differentiation of the significance of the indicator on soil quality and a more accurate assessment, especially in marginal cases where the assessment by the methods used so far has not been fully conclusive. In addition to physico-chemical properties, other criteria are taken into account to assess not only productional but also non-productional functions. The possibility of using indicators referring to a broader context (e.g., soil sealing value) is also important, thus enabling a comprehensive assessment of the quality of the land. This results in points for individual sampling locations. Soils are categorized according to the number of points and results are shown on maps.

Agricultural production is one of the main sources of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, contributing 50% and 60% of CH₄ and N₂O emissions, respectively. This study evaluated the rice yield and components, the CH₄ and N₂O emissions and the global warming potential between the triple rice (R-R-R) and sesame-rice rotation (S-R-R) systems in Can Tho city, Vietnam. The experiments were conducted in 3 cropping seasons: Spring-Summer 2016, Summer-Autumn 2016, and Winter-Spring 2016-2017. The results showed that there was no significant difference in yield components and grain yield between triple rice and rotation systems. The application of sesame rotation in rice-based could reduce the CH₄ and N₂O emission by 30.5% and 18.7%, respectively. Global warming potential in the S-R-R rotation was 9860 kg CO_2e/ha, significantly lower than the R-R-R rotation (12410 kg CO_2e/ha) by 20.6%. These results show that the S-R-R rotation has the potential to mitigate GHG emissions, especially CH₄, which contributes to a large amount of emissions in rice cultivation.

The establishment of the reference ambient background concentrations (ABCs) and quality reference values (QRVs) for trace metal (TM) concentrations in soils are required for the environmental assessment and any implementation of a protective action. This information is lacking for soils of the eastern Mitidja plain, which is an important agricultural production area in Algeria. Data for the aqua regia extractable Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn concentrations from 180 composite topsoil samples taken across the Mitidja plain in a stratified random pattern were statistically analysed. Descriptive statistical methods and linear regression equations were applied to determine the upper limit of the ABCs for the TMs. After removal of outliers, the derived QRVs were: Cd 0.24, Cr 62.1, Cu 99.3, Fe 45 590, Ni 47.7, Pb 33 and Zn 115 mg/kg. Iron is a macro element in the soils, but is included as its concentration can be used to normalise the concentrations of the other elements. The derived QRVs are similar or less than those reported for other regions of the world, apart from Cu, where a wide range (36 to 206 mg/kg) is reported. These reference values can be used to identify areas that may require follow-up surveys or to identify priority sites for decision making.

The effect of drip irrigation on the origin and size fraction of soil organic carbon was studied in the soils of an apple orchard (Malus domestica Borkh.) on hilly (20%) terrain in northeastern Slovenia in three slope positions (upslope, midslope and downslope), comparing irrigated with non-irrigated soils. Physical fractionation of soil organic carbon was performed on three soil layers (0–0.05, 0.05–0.15 and 0.15–0.30 m) in three size fractions: fraction A (> 0.0002 m), fraction B (0.0002‒0.00005 m) and fraction C (< 0.00005 m). Fraction A was the richest in soil organic carbon (7.7%), but fraction C was the dominant fraction in the total soil volume (86‒92%), making it the largest source of soil organic carbon (73%). The δ¹³C signature was performed to determine the existence of two different types (origins) of soil organic carbon: fresh and sedimentary. Fresh organic carbon dominates in the A fraction, while sedimentary organic carbon dominates in the C fraction and may contribute to higher structural stability, besides higher carbonates in the finest fraction. Irrigation mainly contributes to the higher stock of soil organic carbon (predominantly fresh and less sedimentary) in the coarse A fraction (21.14 t/ha in irrigated and 14.17 t/ha in non-irrigated soils).

This review focuses on the behaviour of four psychoactive compounds (carbamazepine, tramadol, sertraline and citalopram) in the environment. The review presents how they may directly affect freshwater systems, soils and living organisms and to which extent. The transformation of these very stable compounds in soils were controlled by oxidation, demethylation, decarboxylation and hydroxylation. Sorption to organic matter and clay particles controlled their mobility. Despite their expected sorption in soils, sediments and sludge, all compounds can be taken up by plants and by fish. In plants, all compounds and several of their metabolites were found in the leaves, indicating the mobility and transformation of the compounds within the plant systems. Factors that control the compounds mobility in plants were found to be the pH of soils and the xylem flow. As for fish, many of the compounds were found in the brain and muscles of fish, some of which, depending on the species, affected the behaviour of the fish. The implications of these compounds so widely present in the environment indicate the need for certain measures to be put into place to prevent these compounds from continuously entering plant and animal systems.

The estimation of the level of the soil organic carbon (SOC) content plays an important role in assessing the soil health state. Visible and Near Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (Vis-NIR DRS) is a fast and cheap tool for measuring the SOC. However, when this technology is applied on a larger area, the soil prediction accuracy decreases due to the heterogeneity of the samples. In this paper, we first investigate the global model performance in the LUCAS EU-wide topsoil database. Then, different clustering strategies were tested, including the k-means clustering based on the principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering, combined with the partial least squares regression (PLSR) models, and a clustering based on a local PLSR approach. The best validation results were obtained for the local PLSR approach with R² = 0.75, root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) = 13.38 g/kg and ratio of performance to interquartile range (RPIQ) = 2.846, but the algorithm running time was 30.05 s. Similar results were obtained for the k-means clustering method with R² = 0.75, RMSEP = 14.61 g/kg and RPIQ = 2.844, at only 4.52 s. This study demonstrates that the PLSR approach based on k-means clustering is able to achieve similar prediction accuracy as the local PLSR approach, while significantly improving the algorithm speed. This provides the theoretical basis for adapting the spectral soil model to the needs of real-time SOC quantification.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and clay, as indicators of soil fertility, are mainly used to determine the ability of soil to retain water and store the nutrients that are necessary for plant growth. However, the distribution of SOC and clay is influenced by topography and land-use. In the present study, the relationships between SOC, clay, altitude, and slope in the topsoil of two different districts in the Czech Republic including the Liberec (71 samples) and Domažlice (67 samples) districts were investigated. To analyse the relationships between slope and SOC, linear regression was used. Results showed that SOC content increased when slope, clay, or altitude increased; however, there were no significant correlations between SOC and clay in both districts. Clay increased with decreasing slope, but clay and altitude were not correlated well in both areas. Then, study areas were divided into three land-use types including arable land, forest, and complex system of agriculture, parcels, and forests. Consequently, the correlations between SOC and slope and clay and slope were generally improved, indicating the importance of land-use on SOC and clay content. Additionally, using multiple regression with several topographic factors can provide a better prediction of SOC and clay content in each land-use for both districts, indicating the complex effects of topography on SOC and clay.

Due to the earthworms’ implications in nutrient cycles through their burrowing and casting activity, earthworms are worth considering when urban biogeochemical cycles are analysed. Several chemical parameters and their relationships were analysed in earthworm casts of two urban parks, namely the pH, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (Nt), plant available phosphorus (P), plant available potassium (K), and calcium water soluble (Ca). It was statistically significantly found that the TOC, Nt, P and K are reciprocally determined in the earthworm casts: 74.4% of the pH variability is co-determined by the N, P, K, TOC, and Ca contents; 95.9% of the Nt variability is co-determined by the pH, P, K, TOC, and Ca contents; 95.4% of the P variability is co-determined by the pH, N, K, TOC, and Ca contents; 94.5% of the K variability is co-determined by the pH, N, P, TOC, and Ca contents; 86.6% of the TOC variability is co-determined by the pH, N, P, K, and Ca contents. This study revealed the complexity of the chemical relationships inside earthworm casts, their reciprocal dependencies, and highlighted the complexity of the earthworms’ contribution to biogeochemical cycles in urban areas. Our findings propose earthworms as indicators of the integrative conservation management of urban ecosystems.

This study focuses on the effect of agricultural soil management on soil organic matter (SOM) composition. The addition of manure and crop residues was tested under different pedoclimatic conditions. The quality of SOM was assessed using diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy. The following parameters were calculated from the spectra:   sum of aliphatic bands (ΣAL), aromatic bands at wave numbers 1 620 and 1 520 cm^–1 (AR₁₆₂₀ and AR₁₅₂₀), potential wettability (PWI), organic matter quality (OMQ), and decomposability (DI) indexes. The addition of manure or crop residues may not cause fundamental changes in the qualitative composition of SOM. Rather, pedoclimatic conditions determine which components are fixed in the soil on a long-term scale. A dominant effect of soil type was found in the distribution of all spectral parameters studied using main effect ANOVA. The main differences between the soil types concern the aromatic, oxygen and nitrogen groups contained in the SOM. Chernozems are soils with higher OMQ and DI, whereas Cambisols are soils with low OMQ and DI and the highest PWI. The stabilisation of SOM in soils can thus be based on the biochemical persistence of organic molecules, their specific affinity for minerals and the formation of aggregates that protect enclosed SOM.

This study aimed to control land subsidence by improving the groundwater balance in the Varamin plain using the Groundwater Modelling System software and a multi-criteria decision model. For this purpose, aquifer level quantification and subsidence rate simulation were performed with the MODFLOW model and SUB package, respectively. The results showed a 6 m decrease in the aquifer level over a 5-year period and the subsidence rate in the central parts was 37 cm. Accordingly, the aquifer was evaluated by considering eight different restoration strategies based on reduced exploitation and artificial feeding. The results showed that the environmental criterion related to the subsidence adjustment index had the highest weight (0.27) and was introduced as the most important decision-making criterion. The evaluation of the results and priorities using the Complex Proportional Assessment (COPRAS) method showed that a 30% reduction in exploitation with artificial feeding is the best restoration strategy and can improve the subsidence rate and aquifer level by 36% and 76%, respectively, over a 5-year period (2024).

The concentration of Cu, Fe, Pb, Zn and As in the surface water intended for human consumption and other uses in the Mantaro River basin were analysed using multivariate methods. The water samples were collected from seven water bodies in the Junín region in June 2019, in the low discharge period. In each body of water, a sector with six sampling sites was established. The Cu, Fe, Pb, Zn and As contents were determined by the flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry method. The correlation analysis revealed positive and significant correlations (P < 0.05) for the Zn/Pb, Pb/Fe and Zn/Fe pairs with a good association, higher than 0.80 and for the Pb/Cu, Fe/Cu, As/Pb and As/Zn pairs a weak degree of association (P < 0.05). The analysis of the main components showed three components with their own values > 1. The hierarchical grouping analysis classified the evaluated water bodies into three groups according to the concentration of the Cu, Fe, Pb, Zn and As. The high concentrations of heavy metals and arsenic recorded in the CIMIRM and MERIS irrigation channels reveal that the Mantaro River continues to be a sink for mine wastewater discharges and runoff from mining liabilities at the headwaters of the Mantaro basin. It is, therefore, necessary to implement urgent management policies to control and reduce the levels of contamination by potentially toxic metals and metalloids in the Mantaro River.

One of the most significant environmental problems in Europe is the land use change as a result of urbanization. The estimate of future agricultural land takes in the Czech Republic previously published in this journal is alarming; however, this is based on arbitrarily determined assumptions. Our contribution brings a more realistic assessment of the extent of expected land takes (example of the Hradec Králové Region). For this purpose, the data from the municipalities' Planning Analytical Materials (PAM) on buildable areas (and redevelopment areas) and data on the existing expansion of built-up areas are used. Particular attention is paid to the best quality soils included in the 1^st and 2^nd protection class of agricultural land resources (ALR), because some municipalities located in fertile agricultural areas argue about the necessity to build up good-quality land. The Pearson correlation coefficient has been used for the evaluation to what extent the share of the soils included in the 1^st and 2^nd protection classes of ALR out of the total area of the municipality is really related to the share of best quality soils in planned buildable areas. The spatial statistics method ‒ geographically weighted regression (GWR) has been used to find spatial deviations from the global relationship model. There is a clear differentiation between the municipalities as to whether they are able to rather protect the best soil or whether they are planning future construction predominantly on it. E.g. in municipalities with about 30-50% of the land included in the 1^st and 2^nd ALR protection classes, buildable and redevelopment areas are designed from 0 to 100% for these highest classes of ALR protection. However, the total strength of the association (Pearson's r) between these indicators is large, r = 0.80 (or r = 0.95 when "the point-index value of agricultural land" was used instead of ALR protection classes). The results of GWR show that higher deviations from the model value, both positive and negative ones, are not spatially clustered but located next to each other. Greater deviations occur more frequently in the more fertile western part of the region, where there is a higher pressure on good-quality land, which is either intended for development or protected on the basis of local factors (including spatial planning of individual municipalities). Estimation of future developments has revealed a substantial over-dimensionality of planned buildable areas - they will potentially be built up in more than 100 years.

The use of sludge in agriculture within the European Union (EU) is currently regulated only by the limits of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn) listed in Council Directive 86/278/EEC. This document is now more than 30 years old. Several European countries have introduced more stringent requirements in comparison with the directive, and have adopted limits for concentrations of other heavy metals, synthetic organic compounds and microbial contamination. The paper provides an overview of the current limits of these substances in sewage sludge and concentration limits of heavy metals in soil intended for sludge application, together with applicable laws and regulations in European Union countries. There is a need to update these regulations taking into account the current risks associated with the application of sludge to agricultural land, with the possibility of using ecotoxicological tests to assess the risks. A wide range of technologies for sewage sludge processing is used in EU countries. The predominant choice is a direct application in agriculture followed by composting. The use of sewage sludge in agriculture in 2014 and 2015 in 13 EU countries that provided data amounted to 22.6% (2014) and 22.1% (2015) of produced sludge and 23.3% (2014) and 23.1% (2015) of sludge disposed. It is also highly variable within EU countries ranging between zero (Malta, Slovenia, Slovakia) and 80% (Ireland). Over 50% of sewage sludge is used in agriculture in Bulgaria according to 2015 data.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the response pattern of diazotrophic microbes, denitrifiers and nitrifiers to different types of land use management, such as soybean monoculture (M) during 5 and 24 years (M5 and M24) and soybean-maize rotation (R) during 4 and 15 years (R4 and R15) in two subsequent years at the time point of flowering. Soil samples from a site recently introduced into agriculture (RUA) and a pristine soil under native vegetation (NV) were used as controls. Abundances of different functional groups of microbes were assessed using the direct quantification of marker genes by quantitative real-time PCR using extracted DNA from rhizosphere samples. In addition, soil chemical and physical properties were analysed and correlated with the abundance data from the functional microbial groups under investigation. Overall, the results indicate that the abundance of nifH genes was higher under R treatments compared to M treatments. The abundance of ammonium monooxygenase genes amoA (AOA) was generally higher under rotation systems and decreased under M24. RUA evidenced a negative effect on the establishment and development of AOA communities. The influence of land use on nirS abundance was inconsistent. However, R treatments showed a high abundance of nirK genes compared to M treatments. In both growing seasons, the abundance of nosZ genes was higher under NV compared with the other treatments. Furthermore, M24 treatment was related to strongly changed chemical and physical soil properties compared with the other sites. As expected, soil samples from RUA showed the strong dynamics of measured parameters indicating the high sensitivity of soils under transition to environmental parameters. Our results also indicated that the long-term crop rotation modified the abundance of the investigated microbial groups compared to the monoculture and increased soil chemical and physical quality. Therefore, our results provide evidence for a stimulatory effect of the long-term crop rotation on the abundance of microbes involved in N transformation.

This paper describes the process of digitizing Montenegro's legacy soil data, and an initial attempt to use it for digital soil mapping (DSM) purposes. The handwritten legacy numerical records of physical and chemical properties for more than 10 000 soil profiles and semi-profiles covering whole Montenegro have been digitized, and, out of those, more than 3000 have been georeferenced. Problems and challenges of digitization addressed in the paper are: processing of non-uniform handwritten numerical records, parsing a complex textual representation of those records, georeferencing the records using digitized (scanned) legacy soil maps, creating a single computer database containing all digitized records, transforming, cleaning and validating the data. For an initial assessment of the suitability of these data for mapping purposes, inverse distance weighting (IDW), ordinary kriging (OK), multiple linear regression (LR), and regression-kriging (RK) interpolation models were applied to create thematic maps of soil phosphorus. The area chosen for mapping is a 400 km² area near the city of Cetinje, containing 125 data points. LR and RK models were developed using publicly available digital elevation model (DEM) data and satellite global land survey (GLS) data as predictor variables. The digitized phosphorus quantities were normalized and scaled. The predictor variables were scaled, and principal component analysis was performed. For the best performing RK model an R² value of 0.23 was obtained.

Water quality and quantity in agricultural systems of arid and semi- arid regions of the world are of great importance. In this regard the trend to pressurized irrigation systems compared to surface irrigation, elevating water use efficiency, has drastically increased in the agriculture sector. The present study aimed to assess land capability for different types of irrigation systems including surface, drip, and sprinkler practices by parametric and fuzzy approaches to evaluate the capability of cultivated lands on 6131 km² of the Mashhad Plain, Khorasan Razavi Province, northeast Iran. In this regard land qualities (drainage and slope), soil physical and chemical properties (texture, depth, salinity, drainage, calcium carbonate and gypsum percentage) and climate conditions (wind velocity) were evaluated by using the Geographic Information System (GIS). Based on parametric approach, some 1116.5 ha of the study area were classified as highly suitable (S1 class) for surface irrigation, while the corresponding values by fuzzy approach accounted for 6099.7 ha of the region. The moderately suitable class of S2, assessed by parametric and fuzzy approaches, included 5014.5 and 31.3 ha of the plain, respectively. It was revealed that the land capability indices were in higher classes (S1 to S2) by drip and sprinkler irrigation compared to the surface irrigation system and the soil texture was detected as the most limiting factor for using the surface irrigation system. With respect to current soil and climate conditions in the study area, the most efficient irrigation systems are drip and sprinkler practices.

The efforts to introduce the micro irrigation system in Iran go back as far as the year 1990. The area under micro irrigation system in Iran covers about 400 000 ha and it is estimated to double (800 000 ha) during the next five years. The field performance of micro irrigation systems was studied in ten Iranian sites. Physical, chemical, and biological analyses of water samples derived from each site included pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), Fe, Mn, Mg, Ca, and bacterial number (BN). In this study relative emitter discharge (R), percentage of completely clogged emitters (P_clog), emission uniformity (EU), absolute uniformity emission (EU_a), statistical uniformity (Us), coefficient of variation due to emitter performance in the field (V_pf), and sector emission uniformity (EUs) were evaluated. Results showed that performance of micro irrigation systems in Iran is low and poor. Average EU, Us, and V_pf values in different sites were 52.8, 61.3, and 38.2%, respectively. Most frequent problems detected in irrigation units were: inadequate working pressure, emitters clogging, and lacking farmers' training.

The solids transport is a complex phenomenon; the intensity of these phenomena varies greatly with the general environment: geology, degree of rock alteration, hydrology, vegetation, climate, etc. The extent of the phenomenon is out of proportion in semi-arid areas or areas with temperate climates. So Algeria is one of the countries most affected by this phenomenon and its consequences. To enable a rapid response to demands from engineers for the quantification of bed load transport at the outlet of a catchment area, a simple tool easy to implement has been developed. The principle adopted is based on hydrometric data from gauging stations, and seasonal and annual analyses have defined an appropriate method for estimating the sediment yield. The study was conducted by analysis of average flows. The Pierre de Chat Station at the outlet of the Tafna watershed was used for application. The results obtained were quite satisfactory because the correlation coefficients of the model: Q_S = f (Q) are between 87 and 96%. This method once refined can be generalized to all the watersheds of northern Algeria.

Forests occupy one third of the world's land area and govern carbon (C) transfers and influence nitrogen (N) content in the biosphere. Afforestation leads to soil changes of specific dynamics, often accompanied by acidification. Especially at higher altitudes this effect is accelerated and increased with the stand age since forestation. The change in soil C and N content following afforestation is controlled by a number of factors, including: previous land use (grasslands, cropland, etc.), tree species, soil cultivation method, soil properties (clay content, pH), stand age, site management, topography, and climate. In the Czech Republic, large area changes in land use took place in the last centuries - forests covering roughly 20% in the 18^th century currently occupy almost 34%, with still increasing tendencies. This paper compares basic soil properties (soil reaction, total soil organic carbon as well as total nitrogen contents) of the agricultural land and land afforested 40-60 years ago. The results confirmed the key role of afforestation in the change of soil organic matter dynamics after establishing new forests on the former agricultural lands in the uppermost mineral soil part of the Orlické hory Mts. region in the Czech Republic. During that time, comparatively substantial changes in soil organic matter and nitrogen were registered. Afforestation considerably increased organic matter content in the studied A-horizons of different land use types. Soil development resulted in a high production of C and N pools under the forest stands, contrary to agricultural land. In general, afforestation caused significant soil acidification. The common tendency of higher acidity of forest soils compared to agricultural ones was documented in the studied case as well. The general tendencies of soil reaction and soil organic matter dynamics at the studied sites are comparable to those in other regions of the Czech Republic.

One of the key goals of the Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection is to maintain and improve soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. A decline of SOC stocks is politically perceived as a serious threat to soil quality and functions. A suitable tool for acquiring the information on SOC stock changes is modelling. The RothC-26.3 model was applied for long-term modelling (1970-2007) of the SOC stock in the topsoil of croplands of Slovakia. Simulation results show a gradual increase in the SOC stock in the first phase of modelling (1970-1995) mainly due to higher carbon input in the soil. A significant linear correlation (r = 0.4**, n = 275) was found between carbon input and the final simulation of SOC stock. A close relationship between the SOC stock and soil production potential index representing the official basis for soil quality assessment in Slovakia was also determined and a polynomial relationship was found which describes the relation at the 95% confidence level. We have concluded from the results that balanced or positive changes in the SOC stock dynamics that are important for sustainable use of soils could be influenced positively or negatively in Slovakia by political decisions concerning the soil management. Moreover, the soil production potential index can be used as soil quality information support for such decision-making.

The assessment study of the global ecological impact tries to highlight the main factors and negative ecological determinants, due to a lack or excess, and it also focuses on highlighting the main negative ecological effects with the aim to rehabilitate and restore the ecological balance within degraded ecosystems. The methodology used in the assessment process was based on graphs, tables in the shape of Leopold matrix, considerably improved by authors. In order to assess qualitatively the negative ecological effects, a reliability scale with 3 indicators and 3 graduations was used, designed to underline the importance of the impact (minor, medium, and major), the quality of the impact (neutral, negative, and positive) and the certainty of the appearance of a negative impact (improbable, probable, and certain). Our research was accomplished in the pasture ecosystem degraded by pluvial erosion from the Tutova Hills, located in the Eastern part of Romania. This ecosystem is characterized through active geo-morphological processes in the depth and on the surface and it drew attention to the presence of 8 negative ecological factors grouped in 3 main categories: geo-climatic, pedological, and anthropogenic. 8 main negative effects were identified and quantified by means of 3 qualitative indicators with 3 graduation scales. The analysis of the current state of the effects of the complex ecological impact upon the degraded ecosystem ask for a series of urgent measures elaborated by scientists, researchers, and representatives of the local administration system. The aim of these measures is to improve the ecological balance and to eliminate the negative anthropogenic impact that augments and aggravates the action of the negative geo-climatic and pedological factors, in of with the protection of soil quality.

Fog and rime water samples were collected at the meteorological observatory Milešovka in February and June 2006. In the samples, the soluble and insoluble pollutant concentrations were evaluated separately and the differences between the fog and rime water samples were studied. The comparison of the fog and rime water samples indicates that the mean soluble component concentrations in the air appear to be higher during the rime events than during the fog events at Milešovka. We recorded a larger mean particle size of the insoluble compounds in the fog water samples than in those of rime water. Some elements contained in the insoluble particles like Ca, Cl, C, Cu, Ag, were present largely in fog whole others, like Fe, Al, Si, Ti, prevailed in rime. In addition to the overall evaluation, the backward air trajectories were determined for each fog/rime event and the concentrations are presented as depending on the direction of the air particle transfer.

The article presents an overview and brief characteristics of the selected soil information systems in the Czech Republic. It suggests synchronisation of their development, particularly some convergence of the Land Evaluation Information System and Soil and Terrain Digital Database. In the pilot area of Litoměřice district, it demonstrates the application of the SOTER methodology for the construction of middle- and detail-scale soil maps, using the data from the General survey of agricultural soils. It not only shows the variety of the district soil conditions, but it also supplements them with the data gathered in the 2006 soil survey.

In case that the climatic or farming conditions have changed in a region, it is possible to anticipate that the core parameters of drainage constructions will not be adequate for the current needs. Some of these constructions might be over-dimensioned, which would be inconsistent with current terms of nature and water resources protection. On the other hand, the valuable contribution the regulation of the water regime of originally waterlogged lands and swamps indisputably brought along and thus enabled the agricultural use of drained lands would be depreciated to a certain extent. In this paper, some scenarios of probable climatic changes in the Czech Republic's territory and the anticipated effect of these changes on the components of the hydrologic water discharge from drained agricultural and forest catchments are studied. The function of drainage systems on selected experimental lands is examined. However, not only probable changes in precipitation, temperature and water runoff should be taken into account, but also changes in the way of farming, i.e. changes in the agricultural conditions and data that played a decisive role in the calculation of the basic parameters of these construction projects, for instance, the spacing of parallel drains or trenches or the depth of their laying. In the Czech Republic about 1.1 million ha of total agricultural land was drained by the end of the twentieth century. In some localities of Eastern and Southern Bohemia up to 80% of agricultural land was drained. To what extent the above-mentioned climatic changes and the changes in the way of farming influence the drainage system and whether adjustments of these systems are required are the questions we tried to answer at least partly in this contribution. The effect of climatic changes on the hydrologic balance and/or on the runoff from the catchments significantly varies up to ± 150% provided that we compare average runoff. The influence of changes in the way of farming on the hydrologic balance manifests itself in a more concrete, but negative way, and that demands a concrete reaction on the part of the water management control. It is therefore vital to take such measures of regulation of the water regime of soil for the existing drainage systems that will ensure both the drainage phase and the phase of runoff retardation. Single-function and obsolete drainage systems should be converted into systems with controlled drainage and irrigation functions - the double-function control systems.