Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Lenka Pavlů Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Soil Science and Geology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Luboš Borůvka Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Soil Science and Geology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Antonín Nikodem Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Soil Science and Geology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Marcela Rohošková Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Soil Science and Geology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Vít Penížek Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Soil Science and Geology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Altitude and forest type effects on soils in the Jizera Mountains region Abstract: 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 samples were collected from soil pits in a surviving nature-close beech forest, in a production spruce forest, and also in the top dead forest area with a grass cover. Soil samples from sufficiently deep diagnostic horizons were taken for the study of chemical properties. The basic soil characteristics were determined by the commonly used methods (pH, effective cation exchange capacity - eCEC, and the contents of cations in the sorption complex, A400/A600 as humus quality parameter, the contents of available Ca, Mg, K and P, pseudototal content of Ca and Mg, and two differently extracted Fe and Al forms contents). The soils of the Jizera Mts. are strongly acid with a low eCEC which is the result of the natural and anthropogenic acidification processes. Soil chemical properties of the most affected top mountainous parts are in some aspects more favourable than lower parts (binding of potentially toxic Al in organic matter, slightly higher pH), but in other aspects they are still endangered by the acidification symptoms (higher leaching of base cations, especially Mg). The soils of nature-close beech forests represent more favourable soil properties than those of planted spruce forests. Generally, it can be concluded that the natural systems have higher resilience, and that natural mechanisms are able to mitigate slightly the soil degradation. Keywords: forest soils, altitude, forest type, beech, spruce, elevation transects Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 35-44 Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/2114-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/2114-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-200702-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:2:y:2007:i:2:id:2114-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Bozena Debska Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Environmental Chemistry, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland Author-Name: Malgorzata Drag Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Environmental Chemistry, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland Author-Name: Magdalena Banach-Szott Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Environmental Chemistry, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland Title: Molecular size distribution and hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties of humic acids isolated from forest soil Abstract: 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 species. The humification process is connected with an increase of the proportion of humic acids of lower molecular size as compared to the proportion of molecules greater in size, and with an increase of hydrophilic fractions and a decrease of hydrophobic fractions. Based on the correlation relationships, it was shown that the degree of polydispersity of molecules of humic acids is related to their hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. Humic acids with a larger proportion of high-molecular fractions demonstrate also a higher proportion of hydrophobic fractions. Keywords: forest soil, humic acids, HPSEC, hydrophobic fractions, hydrophilic fractions Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 45-53 Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/2113-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/2113-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-200702-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:2:y:2007:i:2:id:2113-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Josef Hakl Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forage Crops and Grassland Management, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jaromír Šantrůček Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forage Crops and Grassland Management, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Daniela Kocourková Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forage Crops and Grassland Management, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Pavel Fuksa Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forage Crops and Grassland Management, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: 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 biomass Abstract: 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, respectively. In spring and autumn periods, the root samples were taken from an area of 0.25 m2 (the depth 150 mm) in four replications. The number of plants, the root weight, and the concentrations of starch, saccharose, fructose, and crude protein were assessed in each plot. The total amount of the root reserves was calculated from the determined concentrations and the weights of roots of each sample. A higher soil compaction reduced significantly the stand density, root weight, total amount of all nutrients as well as the starch and crude protein concentrations. The concentration of the soluble non-structural saccharides was identical to or increased over that in the compacted variant. The negative significant effect of a higher soil compaction on the root weight and, consequently, on the total amount of all reserve root nutrients was explained by the changes in the stand density. When the root weight effect was excluded, the compacted variant provided a significantly lower density and crude protein amount and concentration. The significant effect of density on the reserve nutrients was explained by changes in the root weight. Keywords: alfalfa, soil density, root, reserve nutriet Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 54-58 Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/2117-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/2117-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-200702-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:2:y:2007:i:2:id:2117-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Ľubomír Lichner Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Hydrology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Tomáš Orfánus Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Hydrology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Katarína Nováková Author-Workplace-Name: Soil Science and Conservation Research Institute, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Miloslav Šír Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Hydrodynamics of the ASCR, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Miroslav Tesař Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Hydrodynamics of the ASCR, Prague, Czech Republic Title: The impact of vegetation on hydraulic conductivity of sandy soil Abstract: 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 < Glade soil ≍ Meadow soil < Pure sand, similarly as decreased the water drop penetration time tp: Forest soil > Glade soil ≍ Meadow soil > Pure sand, which could refer to an inverse proportionality between the capillary suction and hydrophobic coating of the soil particles. The saturated hydraulic conductivity Ks increased in the following order: Meadow soil < Glade soil ≍ Forest soil < Pure sand; more than two-times higher Ks at both the Forest and Glade sites than that at the Meadow site could be the result of both the patchy growth of vegetation with some areas of bare soil at the Glade site and the macropores (dead roots) in more homogeneous humic top-layer at the Forest site. The share Br of flux through the pores with radii r longer than approximately 0.5 mm decreased in the order: Forest soil » Meadow soil > Glade soil » Pure sand, revealing the prevalence of preferential flow through macropores (dead roots) in the Forest site and a negligible share of macropores in the Pure sand. Keywords: sandy soil, hydraulic conductivity, vegetation, water repellency Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 59-66 Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/2115-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/2115-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-200702-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:2:y:2007:i:2:id:2115-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Klement Rejšek Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Geology and Pedology, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Title: Acid phosphomonoesterase activity in floodplain forest soils Abstract: 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. Finally, the acid phosphomonoesterase activity was expressed in μg of 4-nitrophenol/g fresh soil recalculated dry matter/h released after hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl phosphate in sodium tetraborate/succinic acid buffer at pH 4.8. The modified method proposed was statistically compared with other procedures and the results obtained were found to give merit to these slight modifications. The rationale behind the slight modifications and their comparative significance was reported. Due to high soil complexity, it is suggested that a single laboratory measurement of chemical and biochemical properties is of limited application with forest soil and can be only one component of a broadly focused ecological analysis. Keywords: soil acid phosphomonoesterases, forest soils Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 67-75 Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Year: 2007 DOI: 10.17221/2116-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/2116-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-200702-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:2:y:2007:i:2:id:2116-SWR