Czech organic farmers’ perception of landscape elements

This paper aims to identify the main aspects of farmers´ motivation to farm organically and their activities relating to changes in landscape composition. Organic farmers’ perceptions of landscape elements were observed through questionnaires completed by 87 farmers in the Czech Republic. The majority of farmers (88.5%) stated that environment-friendly farming practices were the main reason to enter the organic farming system. A large number of farmers (69%) stated that they have problems with some constraining conditions and rules in agri-environmental measures. Regarding the size of farms, small farms were more willing to devote part of their farmland to landscape elements. Respondents who farmed in LFA areas and landscape protected areas mentioned more types of landscape elements than farmers from intensive production areas. At the moment, organic certification is concerned only with monitoring and limiting external inputs in the organic farming system. Therefore, it is necessary to start work on a new certification system which will evaluate particular organic farm achievements with regard to impact on landscape, biodiversity, and the environment. Nearly 82% of respondents in our survey were aware of room for improvement regarding these issues

Monitoring Soil Characteristics in Organic Farming: A Comparison of Field vs. Laboratory Methods

Soil quality plays a key role in organic farming. In practice its evaluation is not so simple because there are many indicators that could be used. In our research we used simple field methods (soil quality test kit) and compared the data with traditional evaluation used in the laboratory

Yearbook of Organic Farming in the Czech Republic 2009

The yearbook brings summary of situation on field of organic farming, production, sale, distribution, consumption, promotion, education and research in the Czech Republic. The total acreage of organically farmed land at 31. 12. 2009 had increased to 398,407 ha, which represents 9,38 % of total agricultural land in CZ. Acreage under conversion had reached 26 % (i.e. 103,964 ha). This means the biggest yearly increase in the whole history of OF development (i.e. an increase of 56,775 ha)

Les peuplements de millipèdes et de centipèdes résultant du type de gestion des pâturages : résultats préliminaires en République tchèque

The aim of this study was to compare distribution and assemblage structures in centipedes and millipedes in pastures with different management arrangements. The evaluated types of management included sheep grazing, mowing, mulching and various combinations of these treatments. Different foundation modes of pasture were also evaluated – commercial mixtures of fodder crops, local mixtures of seeds with different proportions of dicotyledonous herbs, and spontaneous fallow land. Despite low abundance of both centipedes and millipedes, the most positive effect observed in millipedes was in mulching due to the surplus of dead organic matter. The best way to manage pasture is to use a mixture of local seeds with a high proportion of dicotyledonous herbs as food of highe r substantiality compared to grassLe but de cette étude était de comparer la répartition et les structures des groupements de centipèdes et de millipèdes dans les pâturages en fonction de différents types de gestion. Les types de gestion évalués étaient le pâturage de moutons, le fauchage et le paillage dans diverses combinaisons. Différents modes de fondations de pâturages ont également été évalués - mélange commercial des cultures fourragères, semences locales mélangées avec des proportions différentes de plantes dicotylédones, et une jachère spontanée. Malgré la rareté des centipèdes et des millipèdes, l'effet le plus positif pour les millipèdes a été observé dans le cadre du paillage car celui-ci offre de la matière organique morte. La meilleure façon de gérer le pâturage est d'utiliser un mélange local de semences à forte proportion de plantes dicotylédones comme nourriture de qualité supérieure en comparaison du gazon

Ekologické zemědělství, učebnice pro školy i praxi. I. díl. Základy EZ, agroenvironmentální aspekty a pěstování rostlin

První učebnice ekologického zemědělství v České republice. Obsahuje základy filosofie a praxe v ekologickém zemědělství, zaměřené na rostlinnou produkci a v samostatné kapitole informuje o biodynamickém zemědělství

Organic Agriculture

The “Organic Agriculture” (OA) book provides anyone interested in this type of farming with a practically focused textbook. The book gives a basic summary of work covering all relevant themes on which the most competent authors, coordinated by Czech experts - Borivoj Šarapatka and Jirí Urban, provide definitive contributions valid not only within the Czech Republic. The book is recommended for practical farming but also as a textbook for teachers and students. The real value of the book is in the fact that it has been compiled by a number of OA specialists and institutions focusing on this area of agriculture - to meet the demand for a comprehensive publication. The book includes chapters on the history and present status of OA in Europe, the legal status of organic agriculture methods (in accordance with European Council Regulation (EC) No. 834/2007 and Commission Regulation No. 889/2008), the environmental effects of OA, plant production, soil, plant nutrition and fertilization, cultivation of crops, weed control, permanent grassland, organic fruit and vegetable-growing, organic viticulture and wine-making, animal husbandry and animal breeding

Phosphatase activities (ACP, ALP) in agroecosystem soils

Soil phosphatases play a major role in the mineralization processes of organic phosphorus substrates. Enzymes in soils originate from animal, plant and microbial sources and the resulting soil biological activity includes the metabolic processes of all these organisms. The activity of soil phosphatases can be influenced by numerous factors and soil properties and farming systems play a key role among them. The research adds to the growing knowledge on soil phosphatases in their interactions with specific soil characteristics at nine sites in the Czech Republic with common soil types. The results show correlations and linear equations between phosphatase activity and soil characteristics. The trials were also conducted at experimental locations and farms in Uppland (Sweden) with eutric cambisol soil type. The results also demonstrate the correlation between acid and/or alkaline phosphatase and several soil characteristics. At the experimental plots were also studied the effect of different farming systems (conventional farming without animal husbandry, organic farming with animal husbandry, organic without animal husbandry with standard soil cultivation, and organic agricultural system without animal husbandry with minimum soil management). The research is also concentrated toward acid phosphatase activity linked to cultivated plants. The evaluation was carried out on the root systems of both the chosen species and cereal varieties and also in nutrient medium on which crops were planted under conditions of changing pH and phosphorus supply. The results show that the acid phosphatase activity in the root system of various species and cereal cultivars is negatively correlated with increasing pH and available phosphorus level in the nutrient medium. Attention was also paid to acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase active colonies of bacteria, isolated from soils. The activity of acid phosphatase and other soil properties were compared with the number of bacteria belonging to the genus Micrococcus. Numerous correlations were described but the results didn't show any correlation between phosphatase active colonies of bacteria and acid and alkaline phosphatase activity in the investigated soils. This is probably due to the production of phosphatates by organisms other than bacteria

Pěstování luskovino-obilných směsek v ekologickém zemědělství. Výsledky pokusů na vybraných ekofarmách v ČR

Luskovino-obilné směsky (LOS) mají v zemědělství dlouhou tradici jako součást osevního fotopostupu na orné půdě a zlepšení krmivové základny. LOS představují výbornou předplodinu v osevním postupu, mají pozitivní vliv na kvalitu půdy, jsou odolnější proti chorobám a škůdcům, potlačují plevely a obohacují půdu o dusík. Jedná se o celou řadu otázek, od volby druhů a odrůd plodin a jejich vzájemného poměru při pěstování přes experimentální ověření vlivu na výskyt chorob, škůdců a plevelů, až po kvalitu a výživnou hodnotu produkce a ekonomiku. Zkušeností a poznatků s pěstováním LOS v podmínkách konvenčního zemědělství je poměrně velké množství, naproti tomu prakticky využitelných a experimentálně ověřených poznatků v podmínkách ekologického zemědělství je naprostý nedostatek. Tento stav dal podnět k formulaci dvou výzkumných projektů, které experimentálně ověřují využití LOS v ekologickém zemědělství na vybraných ekofarmách v ČR a jejichž průběžné výsledky jsou shrnuty v této publikaci. Tato publikace je snahou o souhrn všech dosud známých informací pro praxi

AN EVALUATION OF SELECTED SOIL PROPERTIES AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF SOILS IN ORGANIC FARMING IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Abstract - In our research we have evaluated a series of soil indicators to determine the correlation between individual soil properties in organic farming. Regression analysis has proven that the biological activity of the soil on organically farmed areas (grasslands) as expressed by respiration is mainly influenced by the bulk density, moisture, porosity, humus content, the proportion of cation exchange capacity and total nitrogen content. The multiple regressions have proven the important dependency of basal respiration to the moisture, bulk density and total nitrogen. The supply of organic matter to the soil environment, thus greatly influences the studied soil biological activity. Similar dependences were visible in the results of both conventional and organic farming on arable land

Ročenka ekologického zemědělství v České republice 2009

Ročenka sleduje současný stav ekologického zemědělství v ČR, informace o ekologických farmách a strukturu jejich produkce, výrobu, prodej a distribuci biopotravin, právní předpisy, podpory v EZ, kontroly EZ, vzdělávání, vědu a výzkum, propagaci EZ a další