THE BIOGRAPHY OF JÁNOS NAGYVÁTHY - THE FIRST HUNGARIAN AGRICULTURAL WRITER

210 years ago Nagyváthy János published the first systematic, agricultural trade book, called Diligent Farmers in Hungarian in Pest. This outstanding person of our agricultural history was born on 19th January 1755, in Miskolc. After leaving the Protestant secondary grammar school in Miskolc, he studied law and theology in Sárospatak. At the Protestant secondary grammar school in Losonc he became a Subrector, that is, the the teacher of poetry. Due to a serious illness affecting his eyes he left this job and went to Pest for medical treatment. During the long therapy he visited the lectures of Mitterpacher Lajos, who was the most excellent theoratical agricultural specialist in the country. In 1782 he took military service for four years, in the Duka cavalry regiment, where he reached the rank of a captain and he was garrisoned in Belgium, Italy and Austria. As a commisariat officer he got to know the more developed agriculture of Europe, and it was at that time that he studied agricultural technical literature. In 1786 he had a relapse of his eye disease therefore he left the army and tried to find a cure in Vienna. Here he got acquainted with Jordán Péter, director of the domains of the court, who employed him as an assistant. During the time he spent in the domain of Vöslau, he could completed his academic knowledge with practical experience. In 1788 he moved to Pest where he made friends with Kazinczy, Batsányi, Verseghy and Széchenyi Ferenc, who were the representatives of the most progressive group of nobility. He became the member of the Magnanamitas Masonic Lodge. In 179o he published four pamphlets anonymously called The change of religion, Civil prediction from the stars, The red friend, Hours of joy in the life of a true Hungarian patriot. In 1791 he published The diligent farmer in two volumes on 1213 pages recommending it to the sweaty Hungarian farmer. In this book he wrote about all his experience and the regularities regarding animals and plants discovered by the developing sciences. His main source is Elementa rei rusticae by Mitterpacher but he also mentioned 51 different books as sources, (34 of them in the section about plant cultivation). Plant cultivation had the same importance and number of pages as in the work of Mitterpacher but animal husbandry had twice as many pages. He wrote about the breeding of all farm animals but it was not the chapters on animal husbandry that pointed ahead but his remarks to help the rationalization of farming and the fact that he wrote about plant cultivation and animal husbandry as a whole. The book made him well-known in the country. He was offered the post of a land steward by Széchenyi Ferenc and Festetics György. Accepting the latter he moved to Keszthely and he took over the management of the domain of 162ooo acres. The earl left the army at that time and started to restore his neglected domain. Nagyváthys main task was to improve farm management. He introduced strict accountancy and applied double-entry book-keeping for the first time and Hungary and his main principle was to put down all farming activities in writing. The farm managers were not suitable for this task so he convinced Festetics to found a school for them and an other secondary grammar school in the other centre of the domain in Csurgó. By 1797 the condition of the domain improved significantly and the Earl founded Georgikon the first agricultural college in Europe though without the land steward who favoured the idea of enlightment (the court in Vienna would not approve it). After the expiration of his contract he retired and moved to Csurgó, where he inspected the secondary grammar school as a secular inspector. He spent the last 22 years of his life here hard working in respectable poverty. He died on 13th February 1819 (according to other sources on 24th). His posthumous books are as follows: Hungarian housewife on the farm (182o), Hungarian Practicus Cultivator (1821), Hungarian Practicus Breeder (1822), Hungarian Land Steward (1822). In Keszthely and in Csurgó secondary technical scools are called after him, his memory is kept by statues and marble tablets. My aim was to commemorate a scientist, who disappeared into the mists of two centuries, by presenting his life and his main work

Potassium and Nitrogen Fertilizer Experiment of Celery (Apium graveolens convar. Rapaceum) Test Plant in 2018

This experiment was performed in 2018 in the internal study garden of John von Neumann University. Plants were grown in large lysimeter-type, large culture pots. Pots were filled with sandy soil, common in Kecskemét. Six groups of samples were made with different potassium and nitrogen containing fertilizer treatments. In our experiment, in celery, satisfactorily supplied with potassium, half of the biomass weight was tuber, while the other half was root and leaf, in almost equal proportions. The highest root mass, 37%, was shown by the control treatment

Investigation of the Effects of Foliar Fertilizers on Industrial Tomatoes

Our field experiment was made in 2019 in the study garden of the Faculty of Horticulture and Rural Development. The soil of the experiment was slightly calcareous and alkaline sand with a medium humus content. Three different foliar fertilizer treatments were applied on industrial tomato test plant. Ripening accelerating compounds increased tomato yield. Potassium chloride and Sweet treatments increased yield as well. Water soluble dry matter content was also increased slightly after KCI and Ethrel treatments

The impact of different foliar fertilizers on the guantity and nutrient content of industrial tomato

Our field experiment was made in 2018 in the study garden of the Faculty of Horticulture and Rural Development. The soil of the experiment was slightly calcareous and alkaline sand with a medium humus content. Three different foliar fertilizer treatments were applied on industrial tomato test plant. Ripening accelerating compounds increased tomato yield. Potassium chloride treatment increased yield as well. Water soluble dry matter content was also increased slightly after KCI treatment

Investigation of ground and artesian waters as irrigation water on the Great Hungarian Plain

One of the most significant attribute of soils is that they function as water reservoirs. Subsurface waters — used as irrigation water — can contribute to nutrient supply, but their pollution has a negative impact on the conditions of cultivation. In our study we present the results of our investigation of ground and artesian water samples from the Great Hungarian Plain, mostly from Kecskemét and its surroundings. Based on the depth of the sampling points, we divided the samples into three categories: between 10-30, 31-70 and 71-275 meters. The results showed that the salt content is decreasing with the deepness, primarily because of the decrease in sodium, hydro-carbonate and chloride contents in the samples. The level of nitrogen and phosphorous-ions were low in almost all water samples. Iron, manganese and arsenic content were the highest in the middle deep waters (31-70 m depth). These results — especially in the case of iron and arsenic — can cause problems in the use of these waters in agriculture for cultivation and irrigation. Nowadays decreasing groundwater stocks decrease the water sources of irrigation. Nevertheless usage of subsurface waters for irrigation is important in the future, for example about their function as a potential nutrient sources. Their sensitivity against pollutions draw attention to the essential task of continuous quality parameters monitoring of subsurface waters

The role of ground and artesian waters as nutrient sources in the irrigation on the Great Hungarian Plain

One of the most significant attribute of soils is that they function as water reservoirs. Subsurface waters – used as irrigation water – can contribute to nutrient supply, but their pollution has a negative impact on the conditions of cultivation. In our study we present the results of our investigation of ground and artesian water samples from the Great Hungarian Plain, mostly from Kecskemét and its surroundings. Based on the depth of the sampling points, we divided the samples into three categories: between 10-30, 31-70 and 71-275 meters. The results showed that the salt content is decreasing with the deepness, primarily because of the decrease in sodium, hydro-carbonate and chloride contents in the samples. The level of nitrogen and phosphorous-ions were low in almost all water samples. Iron, manganese and arsenic content were the highest in the middle deep waters (31-70 m depth). These results – especially in the case of iron and arsenic – can cause problems in the use of these waters in agriculture for cultivation and irrigation

Effects of soil types and nitrogen fertilizer doses on some chemical characteristics of tomato, sweet corn and pepper

Our research project was aimed at the description of the nitrogen and carbon flows in soils and vegetable cultures. As a part of this project we made our experiments in the nursery garden of our Institute (Kecskemét College, Faculty of Horticulture), using irrigated and fertilized lysimeters. Three different soil types (sandy, alluvial and chernozem soils) were studied. At constant phosphorus and potassium fertilizer doses (P6o:K]2o), four different nitrogen doses (0, 60, 120 and 180 kg.ha-1 N) were used. Total N levels and other parameters were determined in two harvesting times in tomato (type K-549) and sweet corn (variety 'Spirit') as well. According to other parameters of the tested vegetables, organic acid contents increased in tomato berry on sandy and alluvial soils at higher nitrogen fertilizer doses. Sugar content was higher in tomato grown on alluvial and chernozem soils. Nitrogen doses decreased sugar contents in chernozem in the case of both vegetables. The increase in vitamin C levels of tomato in sandy soil was slight due to higher nitrogen doses. The highest sugar content in sweet corn was measured due to farmyard manure treatment. According to green and red pepper test plants, the effect of nitrogen fertilizer (ammonium-nitrate) and barnyard manure on crop mass seemed to be highly positive in our experiments

Examination of the Zinc Content of the Southern Great Plain Areas in terms of Nutrient Supply

Among microelements, low level of zinc seems to be the most common property in Hungarian soils. Horticultural cultivation requires a balanced supply of nutrients. Southern part of the Great plain contributes significantly to the supply of the fruit and vegetable to the population, so it is important to follow the soil properties, including measurement of those elements which have special effects on plant growing and human health. In our present investigation we continued the analysis of soils, via determination of the average level and distribution of available zinc content and followed the occurrence of the low and high zinc levels in the surrounding soils. Based on our results we suggest supplementing zinc microelement in plant growing in our region, to get healthy functional products and foods

Results analysis of irrigation water located mainly in county Bács-Kiskun

Ground water samples, collected mainly in Kecskemét and its outskirts, were analysed in the laboratory of Faculty of Horticulture (Kecskemét College). Depending on the depth three categories of the sprinkling water samples were formed: 10-30, 31-70 and 71-275 m, respectively. Chemical analysis of 103 water samples showed the decrease in the salt content with deepness (conductivity (EC) decreased from 1116 to 682 pS.cm' 1 in the deepest groundwater samples). It was the result of the decrease primarily in sodium, hydro-carbonate and chloride contents in the samples. Acidity and alkalinity of the samples didn't change with deepness considerably in our samples. The levels of nitrogenous and phosphorous ions were low in almost all water samples. Ferrous, manganese and arsenic content was the highest in the middle deep water region (31-70 m depth). These results may reveal problems in the application of these water sources in agriculture, mainly in growing and irrigation because of high salt concentration, principally thanks to hydro carbonate and metallic ions. Acidic pre-treatment of these irrigation waters seems to be crucial