The State of the Soil Organic Matter and Nutrients in the Long-Term Field Experiments with Application of Organic and Mineral Fertilizers in Different Soil-Climate Conditions in the View of Expecting Climate Change

Soil organic matter (SOM) plays an important role in the terrestrial ecosystems and agroecosystems. Changes in the agricultural sector in the countries of the Central and Eastern Europe (the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, etc.) within the past 25 years have negatively affected the SOM and contributed to the soil degradation. The aim of this chapter is the evaluation of the long-term application of mineral fertilizers and farmyard manure: the Control (without fertilization), farmyard manure (FYM + 0), FYM accompanied with NPK (FYM + N3PK), and FYM with mineral nitrogen FYM + N (FYM + N2), on the essential chemical properties of the soil and yield of the fundamental arable crops in the long-term field experiments, established in different soil and climate conditions (black soils, brown soils, cambisols, altitude ranging from 260 to 650 m a.s.l.) of the Czech Republic in 1955, using the modern multi-criteria statistical methods (PCA, FA, CLU, etc.). The long-term and regular application of organic manure and organic manure with mineral fertilizers (FYM + N3PK and FYM + N2) optimize the soil characteristics, stabilize crop and feedstuff production, and increase the adaptation potential of the soil in the Czech Republic, which is supposed to be weakened due to the expected changes of the environmental conditions in the near future

Soil Microbial Communities and Enzyme Activities after Long-Term Application of Inorganic and Organic Fertilizers at Different Depths of the Soil Profile

Fertilization is a key factor for sustaining productivity in agroecosystems. A long-term experiment in cambisol following periodical application of several types of fertilization has been running at the experimental site since 1954. In this study, we determined the impact of applied inorganic and/or organic fertilizers on the activity of soil enzymes and on the structure of microorganisms at depths of 0-30 cm and 30-60 cm. Single-factor comparison showed that use of inorganic and/or organic fertilizer had an insignificant e_ect on the activities of soil enzymes (at depths 0-30 cm and 30-60 cm) and also on the structure of microbial communities at both depths studied. Only soil respirations exhibited stimulation by combined fertilization. The results, irrespective of sampling depth (0-60 cm), showed that application of combined organic and inorganic fertilization stimulated the activity of glucosidases and use of inorganic fertilizer inhibited the activity of arylsulphatases. Respirations were stimulated by application of organic fertilizer and combined fertilization. Nevertheless, principal component analyses, which calculate with multidimensional data, revealed di_erences in samples treated by sole mineral fertilizer compared to other variants, especially in the lower layer. In general, our results indicate that use of combined fertilization may improve biological characteristics in deeper parts of soil profile and possibly increase biological activity in agroecosystems.O

The Effect of Farmyard Manure and Mineral Fertilizers on Sugar Beet Beetroot and Top Yield and Soil Chemical Parameters

In order to recommend the dose of fertilization for sugar beet under currently unstable weather conditions, we analysed beetroot and top yields, sugar content (SC), and the effect of fertilization on soil chemistry over a three-year period (2016–2018). All three years were characterized by different weather conditions. The year 2016 was very warm and very dry. The year 2017 was warm with normal precipitation. The year 2018 was extraordinary warm and very dry. We compared the following ten fertilization treatments: unfertilized control, farmyard manure (FYM), mineral fertilizers NPK1–4, and FYM + NPK1–4. The applications of FYM, NPK, and FYM + NPK resulted in significantly higher yields of beetroots and tops as compared with the control, while no significant differences were recorded among FYM, NPK, and FYM + NPK treatments. The SC was not affected by the fertilization. The application of NPK resulted in a lower pH value, while the highest values were recorded for the control and FYM treatments. The application of FYM + NPK increased the content of organic carbon (Corg) in the soil, the total content of nitrogen (Ntot), and P and K concentrations. According to the results of the linear-plateau model, the recommended dose of N is 112 kg ha−1, corresponding to a beetroot yield of 66 t ha−1

The Effects of Weather and Fertilization on Grain Yield and Stability of Winter Wheat Growing on Orthic Luvisol—Analysis of Long-Term Field Experiment

Based on a long-term experiment in Prague, established in 1954, we analyzed the effect of weather and seven fertilization treatments (mineral and manure treatments) on winter wheat grain yield (GY) and stability. In total, 23 seasons were analyzed, where a wheat crop followed a summer crop of potatoes. A regression analysis showed that, since the experiment started, there has been a significant increase in the annual daily maximum, average, and minimum temperature of 0.5 °C, and an increase in annual rainfall of 0.3 mm. Grain yield was positively associated with April precipitation, mean daily temperature in October, and daily maximum temperature in February. Yields were most stable between years with two fertilizer treatments that supplied a mean of 47 kg N ha−1yr−1, 54 kg P ha−1yr−1, and 108 kg K ha−1yr−1. The rate of N at which grain yield was optimized was determined according to the linear-plateau (LP) and quadratic response models as 44 kg N ha−1yr−1 for the long-strawed varieties and 87 kg N ha−1yr−1for short-strawed varieties. A gradual increase in yields was observed in all treatments, including the unfertilized control, which was attributed to improved varieties rather than to a changing climate

Výzkum možností předcházení ukládání biologicky rozložitelných odpadů na skládky

The purpose of this thesis is an elaboration of the methodology of composting accelerators exploitation with a vision to prevent a deposition of biologically waste on a landfill. The thesis consists of three main chapters. The description of the physical and chemical aspects of a composting process and the historical development of a composting technology is a content of the first chapter. Second chapter focuses on the up to date knowledge of compost accelerators. Third chapter describes and contain the methodology, results of experiments and discussion of advisability and suitability of the compost accelerators as a tool which could prevent a biological waste landfilling

The Content of Topsoil Nutrients, Ph and Organic Carbon as Affected by Long-Term Application of Mineral and Organic Fertilisers

Soil is the fundamental element in agriculture and is affected in a variety of ways. Besides other things, the long-term application of mineral and organic fertilisers can significantly influence the topsoil pool of nutrients, organic carbon content and pH. Within the scope of longterm field experiments in Praha-Ruzyně, we evaluated the effect of six fertiliser treatments - unfertilised Control, farmyard manure (FYM), cattle slurry (CAT), cattle slurry amended with straw from previous cereals (CAT+STR), mineral fertiliser (NPK) and NPK amended with FYM (NPK+FYM) on a topsoil pool of nutrient content, organic carbon content (Cox) and pH between the years 2001 and 2012. In the selected period, the fertiliser treatment did not influence the N and Cox content (ranging from 0.126% to 0.143%). Phosphorus and potassium were significantly higher in the NPK+FYM treatment (109.82 and 279.27 mg/kg, respectively), while calcium and magnesium were significantly lower in the NPK treatment (2,973 and 134.95 mg/kg, respectively). Application of mineral fertilisers significantly decreased the value of pH, influencing the Ca and Mg topsoil concentrations. Organic fertilisers cannot provide a sustainable amount of nutrients to generate high yields in a short time, but release their nutrients slowly and the range of nutrients is wider. Mineral fertilisers, if not amended with organic fertilisers, can provide huge doses of nutrients, which can be quickly reused for high yields, but negatively influence the pH value, resulting in a decrease in the pool of Ca and Mg

The Effect of Different Tillage Methods on Erosion

During the years 2012‒2016 at the site threatened by erosion, the effect of different intensity and depth of soil tillage on the progression of erosion were evaluated on the plots with silage maize. Three different tillage methods were compared and evaluated - conventional tillage, including ploughing (CT), no-tillage using mulch and direct drilling (NT), and minimum tillage treatment with a lower depth of soil cultivation and organic matter incorporation (MT). Water and soil runoff on all of the experimental plots were measured during erosion events. Besides an analysis of naturally occurring rainfall causing erosions, we also conducted the test of soil infiltration abilities with a rain simulator after silage maize harvest. The effect of the tillage on aboveground biomass yield and the input costs was also analyzed. The results showed that NT and MT can significantly reduce water and soil runoff comparing CT. The highest yields were recorded in MT, while the lowest were in CT. Total input costs were higher in the case of NT and MT, but the share of mechanized work was lower for these technologies. Our results showed that NT and MT technologies, as a part of silage maize with a higher plant density stand establishment, should be a useable erosion control measure in areas vulnerable to erosion

Effect of Digestate on Soil Organic Carbon and Plant-Available Nutrient Content Compared to Cattle Slurry and Mineral Fertilization

Digestate contains many valuable nutrients, including nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K); however, it is characterized by relatively little organic matter. The objective of this study was to assess the four-year impact of digestate (Dig) application, digestate + straw (Dig + St), cattle slurry (Csl), and mineral fertilization (NPK) on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), mineral N (Nmin), and the content of plant-available P and K. Fertilization did not have any significant influence on SOC, TN, and SOC/TN parameters. Yet, in comparison with control, there was an upward trend in the concentration of SOC and TN in the topsoil, where fertilizers were applied. In contrast to SOC and TN, fertilizer treatment significantly affected the content of P, K, and Nmin, and the differences depended on the soil depth and the fertilizer used. On average, the highest content of P was obtained in Csl treatment, but the highest content of K was observed in Dig + St. The effect of treatment on Nmin in spring was as follows: NPK = control < Csl = Dig + St < Dig. Straw plowing increased the bio-immobilization of N with digestate and, at the same time, lowered the content level of nitrates in soil

The Effect of Soil-Climate Conditions, Farmyard Manure and Mineral Fertilizers on Potato Yield and Soil Chemical Parameters

If available to farmers, potatoes represent a crop classically fertilized with farmyard manure in the Czech Republic. At the same time, potatoes are a crop sensitive to soil–climate conditions. We evaluated the effect of cattle manure (FYM), manure and mineral nitrogen (FYM + N1, FYM + N2), manure and mineral fertilizers (FYM + N1PK, FYM + N2PK, FYM + N3PK) application and the effect of three soil-climatic conditions (Caslav—maize production area with degraded Chernozem, Ivanovice—maize production area with Chernozem, Lukavec—potatoes production area with Cambisol) over four years (2016–2019) on potatoes yield and soil chemical properties. Of all the factors, yields were most affected by location. Lukavec provided the highest average yields (37.2 t ha−1), followed by Ivanovice (23.5 t ha−1) and Caslav (15.5 t ha−1). The second most important factor was the climatic conditions of the year. Fertilization was the third most important parameter. FYM significantly increased yields compared to Control, but applied alone cannot cover the needs of potatoes. Similarly, the application of FYM and N increases yields, but for the highest yields, it is best to apply FYM + NPK (80 kg ha−1 N). Co-application of FYM and mineral N fertilizers mitigates the negative impact of mineral N on soil pH