Deficit irrigation of vines (Vitis vinifera L.) – review of experiences and potential for Slovenia

Deficit irrigation is one of the most researched irrigation water management techniques for vines with many potential benefits for successful grape production. For optimal growth and grape quantity of individual variety, suitable water quantity over growing season should be provided. Due to more frequent droughts vine irrigation will be needed also in Slovenia. The principle of deficit irrigation is affecting vine growth and quality and quantity of the yield by adding smaller amount of water than optimal. Decreased vine growth (reduced growth of shoots, 15.5 % for 'Monastrell, reduced leaf area, reduced pruning mass), smaller berries, and thus yield quantity from 38 % to 57 % for ‘Monastrell’ and 24 % to 27 % for 'Tempranillo', respectively, improved berry composition (higher sugar and antocianin content, lower acid content), better water use efficiency, meaning higher yield per unit of added water, are expected. Most suitable method for deficit irrigation management of vines is by measuring plant water potential. For successful transfer of deficit irrigation in practice, good knowledge of critical growth stages of irrigated vine variety and its behavior in a certain environment is needed. Successful application of this irrigation method in practice will be possible only with financial and expert support

Modelling the impact land use change on flood risk: Umia (Spain) and Voglajna (Slovenia) case studies

Accurate quantification and assessment flood hazards is critical for mitigation and prevention. This study proposes a methodological framework for analysing this hazard and its relationship to agricultural and forestry land use. The objective is to obtain an integrative methodology based on the HEC-HMS model and to apply different simulations, with land use changes as indicator in two different study areas, taking into account the different characteristics of each basin and the different regulations of each area. This was done in two river basins, the Umia Basin (north-western Spain) and the Voglajna Basin (eastern Slovenia). The hydrological models obtained showed a very high performance in the calibration and validation periods. In the Umia River Basin agricultural use has priority over forestry, with food security taking precedence over water security. Reforestation only upstream has been shown to be almost as beneficial as reforestation throughout the basin. However, the use of abandoned land currently limits the reduction of peak discharge. Nevertheless, for an event designed with a 100-years return period, a reduction of about 12% was achieved. The increase in agricultural use promoted by the administration could increase this peak by about 6%, thus increasing the flood hazard, but it has been shown that this use on less permeable soils and upstream would not significantly increase this peak (<1% for the event studied). On the other hand, the Voglajna Basin has a smaller catchment area and fragmented land use, and a mosaic landscape. For the 100-years return period the reduction in peak discharge is only few percent compared to the baseline scenario even if 30% of the agricultural land (about 7% of the total area) is changed to forest land use. The information provided by the simulations is a useful indicator that can be incorporated into management plans to ensure appropriate decision making by the administration. Not only for the application of nature-based solutions (NBS) and providing evidence-base for the NBS and the reduction of flood risk, but such information is key when the use changes from forestry to agriculture and vice versa, as it provides tools to ensure food and water security. In both case studies it was demonstrated how stakeholders need to undertake optimal and strategic planning and management in order to reduce the risk of flooding. In turn, the use of this modelling, as well as the calculation of scenarios from a perspective that not only evaluates different land use changes, but also incorporates different regulations, is presented as an innovative and realistic analysis.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. TED2021-130241A-I00Xunta de Galicia | Ref. GPC-ED431B 2022/12Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481B-2023-042Universidade de Vigo/CISUGSlovenian Research Agency | Ref. V2-2137Slovenian Research Agency | Ref. J6-4628Slovenian Research Agency | Ref. N2-0313Slovenian Research Agency | Ref. P2-0180Slovenian Research Agency | Ref. P-004

The Perception of Stakeholders to Implement Nature-Based Solution for Flood Protection in the Balkans and in Iceland

Recent climate change observations and projections reveal an intensification of weather patterns, leading to severe floods and droughts in most parts of the world. The intensification of weather patterns could mitigate the effectiveness of flood protection infrastructures such as dams, levees and flood channels. Numerous studies have highlighted the superior effect of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in order to manage and mitigate the hydro-meteorological risk generated by an intensified water cycle. In particular, Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM) can prove to be efficient, sustainable and flexible solutions. NWRMs reduce flood events, mitigate flood damage and provide biological habitats for the conservation of local flora and fauna. Accordingly, NWRM should be implemented on a large scale throughout the river basins with the close involvement of local stakeholders and landowners. For this purpose, we assessed the perception of stakeholders and landowners of applying NWRM on private properties in four European countries (Iceland, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Slovenia). Country-specific semi-quantitative questionnaires were created for representative watersheds in all four countries. The questionnaires took into account that floods are characterized by the country-specific precipitation, topography of the terrain and the nature of the watercourse. Therefore different NWRMs were recommended between the countries. Based on the preliminary analysis, we have concluded similar outcomes for all four states: Landowners want to cooperate with local communities and governments in order to adopt flood protection measures. They pointed to NWRM as equally important as an engineering-based solution, but they are not particularly willing to implement NWRM on their private lands. Landowners indicate that the government should have at least a 75% share in financing flood protection measures. The similarities of the results in the four countries reveal that a Pan-European perception might be generated by conducting similar surveys in other European countries

Current Wildland Fire Patterns and Challenges in Europe : A Synthesis of National Perspectives

Changes in climate, land use, and land management impact the occurrence and severity of wildland fires in many parts of the world. This is particularly evident in Europe, where ongoing changes in land use have strongly modified fire patterns over the last decades. Although satellite data by the European Forest Fire Information System provide large-scale wildland fire statistics across European countries, there is still a crucial need to collect and summarize in-depth local analysis and understanding of the wildland fire condition and associated challenges across Europe. This article aims to provide a general overview of the current wildland fire patterns and challenges as perceived by national representatives, supplemented by national fire statistics (2009-2018) across Europe. For each of the 31 countries included, we present a perspective authored by scientists or practitioners from each respective country, representing a wide range of disciplines and cultural backgrounds. The authors were selected from members of the COST Action "Fire and the Earth System: Science & Society" funded by the European Commission with the aim to share knowledge and improve communication about wildland fire. Where relevant, a brief overview of key studies, particular wildland fire challenges a country is facing, and an overview of notable recent fire events are also presented. Key perceived challenges included (1) the lack of consistent and detailed records for wildland fire events, within and across countries, (2) an increase in wildland fires that pose a risk to properties and human life due to high population densities and sprawl into forested regions, and (3) the view that, irrespective of changes in management, climate change is likely to increase the frequency and impact of wildland fires in the coming decades. Addressing challenge (1) will not only be valuable in advancing national and pan-European wildland fire management strategies, but also in evaluating perceptions (2) and (3) against more robust quantitative evidence.Peer reviewe

Nuclear techniques support to assess erosion and sedimentation processes: preliminary results of the use of 137Cs as soil tracer in Slovenia = Uporaba nuklearnih tehnik za oceno erozije in sedimentacije: preliminarni rezultati uporabe cezija-137 kot sledila v Sloveniji

Most studies of erosion and sedimentation evaluation in Slovenia have focused on the use of conventional approaches. This paper highlights potential advantages of nuclear techniques to assess soil redistribution magnitude and presents assessment of the initial 137Cs fallout in undisturbed site, located in Šalamenci, Eastern Slovenia. The 137Cs background activity in the selected forested site was evaluated at 7316 ± 2525 Bq m–2 with a coefficient of variation of 34 % (n = 20). This information will be used in future investigations to assess erosion and sedimentation processes of adjacent agricultural fields with 137Cs method