Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Pavel Kovář Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Michaela Hrabalíková Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Martin Neruda Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Environment, University of Jan Evangelista Purkyně in Ústí nad Labem, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic Author-Name: Roman Neruda Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Computer Science, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jan Šrejber Author-Workplace-Name: Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic Author-Name: Andrea Jelínková Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Hana Bačinová Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Choosing an appropriate hydrological model for rainfall-runoff extremes in small catchments Abstract: Real and scenario prognosis in engineering hydrology often involves using simulation techniques of mathematical modelling the rainfall-runoff processes in small catchments. These catchments are often up to 50 km2 in area, their character is torrential, and the type of water flow is super-critical. Many of them are ungauged. The damage in the catchments is enormous, and the length of the torrents is about 23% of the total length of small rivers in the Czech Republic. The Smědá experimental mountainous catchment (with the Bílý potok downstream gauge) in the Jizerské hory Mts. was chosen as a model area for simulating extreme rainfall-runoff processes using two different models. For the purposes of evaluating and simulating significant rainfall-runoff episodes, we chose the KINFIL physically-based 2D hydrological model, and ANN, an artificial neural network mathematical "learning" model. A neural network is a model of the non-linear functional dependence between inputs and outputs with free parameters (weights), which are created by iterative gradient learning algorithms utilizing calibration data. The two models are entirely different. They are based on different principles, but both require the same time series (rainfall-runoff) data. However, the parameters of the models are fully different, without any physical comparison. The strength of KINFIL is that there are physically clear parameters corresponding to adequate hydrological process equations, while the strength of ANN lies in the "learning procedure". Their common property is the rule that the greater the number of measured rainfall-runoff events (pairs), the better fitted the simulation results can be expected. Keywords: flood prediction, infiltration, Jizerské hory Mts., kinematic wave, neural network Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 137-146 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/16/2015-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/16/2015-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-201503-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:10:y:2015:i:3:id:16-2015-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Jaroslava BARTLOVÁ Author-Workplace-Name: Agricultural Research, Ltd., Troubsko, Czech Republic Author-Name: Barbora BADALÍKOVÁ Author-Workplace-Name: Agricultural Research, Ltd., Troubsko, Czech Republic Author-Name: Lubica POSPÍŠILOVÁ Author-Workplace-Name: Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Eduard POKORNÝ Author-Workplace-Name: Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Bořivoj ŠARAPATKA Author-Workplace-Name: Palacky University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic Title: Water stability of soil aggregates in different systems of tillage Abstract: The influence of various agrotechnical measures on macrostructural changes in topsoil and subsoil was studied in the course of a four-year experiment. Macrostructure was evaluated according to the ability of soil aggregate to resist degradation. Three variants of soil tillage were established: ploughing to a depth of 0.22 m, reduced tillage (subsoiling to 0.35-0.40 m, and shallow disking of soil to a depth of 0.15 m). For observation, three locations were chosen in various production areas of the Czech Republic with differing soil and climatic conditions. In these locations crops were grown under the same crop rotation: rapeseed (Brassica napus L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), maize (Zea mays), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and barley (Hordeum vulgare). After four years of different tillage, a change in the water stability of soil aggregates (WSA) was evident. It was found out that reduced tillage of soil positively influenced both the WSA and the yield of the crops grown. A relationship of positive dependence between WSA, the content of humus substances, and cation exchange capacity of soil was also found. According to the obtained results, for agricultural practice a classification scale of structural quality was proposed on the basis of statistics of one variable (average, its mean error and distribution normality). Keywords: conventional tillage, shallow disking, soil structure, subsoiling, water-stable aggregates, yield Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 147-154 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/132/2014-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/132/2014-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-201503-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:10:y:2015:i:3:id:132-2014-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: František DOLEŽAL Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Water Resources, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Svatopluk MATULA Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Water Resources, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: João Manuel MOREIRA BARRADAS Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Water Resources, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Rapid percolation of water through soil macropores affects reading and calibration of large encapsulated TDR sensors Abstract: The electromagnetic soil water content sensors are invaluable tools because of their selective sensitivity to water, versatility, ease of automation and large resolution. A common drawback of most their types is their preferential sensitivity to water near to their surfaces. The ways in which the drawback manifests itself were explored for the case of large Time-Domain Reflectometry (TDR) sensors Aqua-Tel-TDR (Automata, Inc., now McCrometer CONNECT). Their field performance was investigated and compared with the results of field and laboratory calibration. The field soil was loamy Chernozem on a carbonate-rich loess substrate, while the laboratory calibration was done in fine quartz sand. In the field, the sensors were installed horizontally into pre-bored holes after being wrapped in slurry of native soil or fine earth. Large sensor-to-sensor variability of readings was observed. It was partially removed by field calibration. The occurrence of percolation events could be easily recognised, because they made the TDR readings suddenly rising and sometimes considerably exceeding the saturated water content. After the events, the TDR readings fell, usually equally suddenly, remaining afterwards at the levels somewhat higher than those before the event. These phenomena can be explained by the preferential flow of water in natural and artificial soil macropores around the sensors. It is hypothesised that the percolating water which enters the gaps and other voids around the sensors accumulates there for short time, being hindered by the sensors themselves. This water also has a enlarged opportunity to get absorbed by the adjacent soil matrix. The variance of TDR readings obtained during the field calibration does not differ significantly from the variance of the corresponding gravimetric sampling data. This suggests that the slope of the field calibration equation is close to unity, in contrast to the laboratory calibration in quartz sand. This difference in slopes can be explained by the presence or absence, respectively, of gaps around the sensors. A typical percolation event and dry period records are presented and analysed. Sensors of this type can be used for qualitative detection of preferential flow and perhaps also for its quantification. The readings outside the percolation events indicate that the sensor environment imitates the native soil reasonably well and that the field-calibrated sensors can provide us with quantitative information about the actual soil water content. Keywords: gap, preferential flow, rain, sensor installation, time-domain reflectometry Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 155-163 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/177/2014-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/177/2014-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-201503-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:10:y:2015:i:3:id:177-2014-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Monika MARKOVIĆ Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture, University of J.J. Strossmayer in Osijek, Osijek, Republic of Croatia Author-Name: Vilim FILIPOVIĆ Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Soil Amelioration, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Republic of Croatia Author-Name: Tarzan LEGOVIĆ Author-Workplace-Name: Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Republic of Croatia Author-Name: Marko JOSIPOVIĆ Author-Workplace-Name: Agricultural Institute in Osijek, Osijek, Republic of Croatia$2 Author-Name: Vjekoslav TADIĆ Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture, University of J.J. Strossmayer in Osijek, Osijek, Republic of Croatia Title: Evaluation of different soil water potential by field capacity threshold in combination with a triggered irrigation module Abstract: Irrigation efficiency improvement requires optimization of its parameters like irrigation scheduling, threshold and amount of water usage. If these parameters are not satisfactorily optimized, negative consequences for the plant-soil system can occur with decreased yield and hence economic viability of the agricultural production. Numerical modelling represents an efficient, i.e. simple and fast method for optimizing and testing different irrigation scenarios. In this study HYDRUS-1D model assuming single- and dual-porosity systems was used to evaluate a triggered irrigation module for irrigation scheduling in maize/soybean cropping trials. Irrigation treatment consisted of two irrigation regimes (A2 = 60-100% field capacity (FC) and A3 = 80-100% FC) and control plot (A1) without irrigation. The model showed a very good fit to the measured data with satisfactory model efficiency values of 0.77, 0.69, and 0.93 (single-porosity model) and 0.84, 0.67, and 0.92 (dual-porosity model) for A1, A2, and A3 plots, respectively. The single-porosity model gave a slightly better fit in the irrigated plots while the dual-porosity model gave better performance in the control plot. This inconsistency between the two approaches is due to the manual irrigation triggering and uncertainty in field data timing collection. Using the triggered irrigation module provided more irrigation events during maize and soybean crop rotation and consequently increased cumulative amounts of irrigated water. However, that increase resulted in more water available in the root zone during high evapotranspiration period. The HYDRUS code can be used to optimize irrigation threshold values further by assuming different scenarios (e.g. different irrigation threshold or scheduling) or a different crop. Keywords: field water capacity, dual-porosity model, HYDRUS-1D, numerical modelling, single-porosity model, triggered irrigation Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 164-171 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/189/2014-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/189/2014-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-201503-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:10:y:2015:i:3:id:189-2014-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Ondřej DRÁBEK Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic; Author-Name: Isaac KIPKOECH KIPLAGAT Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic; Author-Name: Michael KOMÁREK Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Environmental Geosciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Václav TEJNECKÝ Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic; Author-Name: Luboš BORŮVKA Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic; Title: Study of interactions between relevant organic acids and aluminium in model solutions using HPLC and IC Abstract: The interactions of different organic acids such as citric, malic, oxalic, and fulvic with aluminium were studied using ion-exchange chromatography (IC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The experiments were carried out at low pH (1.5-3.1). The results of IC experiments on the interaction between Al and oxalate, citrate, and malate were compared with model chemical equilibrium calculations. The strongest effect on Al speciation was observed with oxalic acid and fulvic acid. These two ligands formed more than one type of complex with Al. In contrast, there was no significant effect of malic acid on Al speciation and a rather weak effect caused by citric acid. The studies show that the formed complexes are stable even at low pH. Keywords: aluminium speciation, citric acid, fulvic acid, malic acid, oxalic acid Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 172-180 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/256/2014-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/256/2014-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-201503-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:10:y:2015:i:3:id:256-2014-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Magdalena ZABOROWSKA Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Microbiology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland Author-Name: Jan KUCHARSKI Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Microbiology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland Author-Name: Jadwiga WYSZKOWSKA Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Microbiology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland Title: Using basalt flour and brown algae to improve biological properties of soil contaminated with cadmium Abstract: In order to achieve homeostasis of soil, the potential of alleviating substances (two innovative: basalt flour and brown algae extract against two classic compounds: barley straw and compost) were analyzed in soil contaminated with cadmium. The studies thus determined the activity of urease, number of ammonification bacteria, nitrogen-immobilizing bacteria, Arthrobacter sp., Azotobacter sp., and spring barley yield. The analyzed parameters were presented as the following indices: RS - resistance of soil; EF - fertilization effect of an alleviating substance; and R:S - rhizosphere effect. Cadmium was applied as CdCl2∙2.5H2O at the following doses: 0, 4, 40, 80, 120, 160, and 200 mg Cd2+/kgof soil. Straw increased the values of most examined parameters, mainly at lower doses of cadmium. Among the cultivated plants, resistance was most stimulated by compost. Basalt flour and brown algae extract did not play a major role in the recovery of contaminated soil. Ammonification bacteria were the least sensitive to stress associated with the deposition of cadmium in soil, whereas Azotobacter sp. was the most sensitive. Urease was found to be a reliable indicator of soil condition. Keywords: cadmium, fertilizing substances, microorganisms, soil, urease Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 181-188 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/281/2014-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/281/2014-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-201503-0006.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:10:y:2015:i:3:id:281-2014-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: María Isabel DELGADO Author-Workplace-Name: Course of Watershed Management, School of Agronomy and Forest Engineering, National University of La Plata, La Plata, Argentina Author-Workplace-Name: National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), La Plata, Argentina Author-Name: Fernanda Julia GASPARI Author-Workplace-Name: Course of Watershed Management, School of Agronomy and Forest Engineering, National University of La Plata, La Plata, Argentina Author-Name: Eduardo Emilio KRUSE Author-Workplace-Name: National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), La Plata, Argentina Title: Land use changes and sediment yield on a hilly watershed in Central-East Argentina Abstract: Watershed management strategies need suitable techniques to be available in order to quantify sediment yield, among other relevant issues. The aim of this work was to estimate the sediment yield on a hilly watershed, for two different land use scenarios (years 1966 and 2011) and rainfall events (106 mm and 65.5 mm). The Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation was used to estimate the sediment yield produced by a single rainfall on the watershed of the Belisario Creek, placed south-west of the Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The information was processed using the Geographic Information System Idrisi Taiga®. Modelling the 45-year distant land use scenarios allowed to estimate the high level of degradation that is currently taking place on the watershed. Also, we detected different responses through different areas of the watershed; the same rainfall event in the 2011 land use scenario compared to the 1966 scenario showed a 400% increment in sediment yield in the upper sub-watersheds, together with an almost 100% increment near the sink. Here we propose the urgent need to elaborate a sustainable plan for the watershed of the Belisario Creek, in order to establish action criteria that could help improve natural resources management. The methodology used could be also applied to neighbouring watersheds with similar characteristics in the region. Keywords: GIS, MUSLE, soil loss, territorial management Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 189-197 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/49/2014-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/49/2014-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-201503-0007.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:10:y:2015:i:3:id:49-2014-SWR Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Yan ZHANG Author-Workplace-Name: College of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, P.R. China Author-Name: Mingming FENG Author-Workplace-Name: Broadvision Engineering Consultants, Kunming, P.R. China Author-Name: Jianying YANG Author-Workplace-Name: College of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, P.R. China Author-Name: Tingning ZHAO Author-Workplace-Name: College of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, P.R. China Author-Name: WU Hailong Author-Workplace-Name: College of Environmental Science and Security Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin, P.R. China Author-Name: Changqing SHI Author-Workplace-Name: College of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, P.R. China Author-Name: Yi SHEN Author-Workplace-Name: Research Institute of Highway Ministry of Transport, Beijing, P.R. China Title: Effects of soil cover and protective measures on reducing runoff and soil loss under artificial rainfall Abstract: The hazards from wind, sand, and soil erosion caused by human activities, such as residue slopes in abandoned urban mines, have resulted in a vicious circle of environmental degradation. Selecting the optimal protective engineering method in mountainous areas has become a major difficulty in recent years, and the primary goal of our research is to accelerate the process of ecosystem reconstruction to maintain water and soil quality. In this study, cover soil of 10, 20, and 30 cm in depth was spread on the 30° accumulation slopes composed of loose residue from the Huangyuan Quarry, Beijing, and combined with two protection measures: eco-bags and bamboo fences. Runoff and soil loss from the aboveground, soil and residue layers were measured under rainfall intensities of 30, 60 and 120 mm/h generated with a rainfall simulator. The results indicated that both eco-bags and bamboo fences decreased runoff and soil loss. Bamboo fences were better at intercepting water under low runoff, whereas soil loss was more strongly reduced by eco-bags. The analysis also demonstrated that the depth of soil cover had an effect on runoff and soil loss. These findings will enrich the understanding of the effects of human activities on surface mines and provide a scientific basis for the ecological restoration of mines using engineering methods. Keywords: bamboo fence, eco-bags, mine, protective measures, soil cover Journal: Soil and Water Research Pages: 198-205 Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/137/2014-SWR File-URL: http://swr.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/137/2014-SWR.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/swr-201503-0008.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:10:y:2015:i:3:id:137-2014-SWR