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On the basis of existing spatial databases and maps of soil parameters relating to production, environmental parameters and soil threats, indices of agricultural soil quality in Slovakia were developed and their distribution shown on maps. Existing maps of agricultural soil properties in vector format developed at the Soil Science and Conservation Research Institute in Bratislava were used. Unlike many quality evaluations of agricultural soils, the indices developed here take into account other parameters, not only production but also environmental and risk factors. The results show that in Slovakia 1.0% of agricultural soils are of very high quality, 30.3% are of high quality, 37.9% are of medium quality, 30.5% are of low quality and 0.3% are of very low quality.

Tobiašová E., Barančíková G., Gömöryová E., Makovníková J., Skalský R., Halas J., Koco Š., Tarasovičová Z., Takáč J., Špaňo M. Soil organic matter (SOM) plays an important role in the soil aggregation and vice versa, its incorporation into the soil aggregates is one of the mechanisms of soil organic carbon stabilization. In this study the influence of labile carbon fractions on the fractions of dry-sieved (DSA) and wet-sieved (WSA) macro-aggregates and the relationship between the content of total organic carbon (TOC) and its labile fractions in the soil and in the fractions of macro-aggregates were determined. The experiment included six soil types (Eutric Fluvisol, Mollic Fluvisol, Haplic Chernozem, Haplic Luvisol, Eutric Cambisol, Rendzic Leptosol) in four ecosystems (forest, meadow, urban, and agro-ecosystem). In the case of DSA, the contents of labile fractions of carbon, in particular cold water extractable organic carbon (CWEOC) and hot water extractable organic carbon (HWEOC), had a higher impact on the proportions of larger fractions of macro-aggregates (3-7 mm), while in the case of WSA, the impact of labile fractions of carbon, mainly labile carbon (C L ) oxidizable with KMnO 4 , was higher on the proportions of smaller fractions of aggregates (0.25-1 mm). The WSA size fraction of 0.5-1 mm seems an important indicator of changes in the ecosystems and its amounts were in a negative correlation with C L (r = -0.317; P < 0.05) and HWEOC (r = -0.356; P < 0.05). In the WSA and DSA size fractions 0.5-1 mm, the highest variability in the contents of TOC and C L was recorded in the forest ecosystem > meadow ecosystem > urban ecosystem > agro-ecosystem. The higher were the inputs of organic substances into the soil, the greater was the variability in their incorporation into the soil aggregates. The influence of the content of TOC and its labile forms on their contents in the DSA and WSA was different, and the contents of TOC and C L in the aggregates were more significantly affected by the C L content than by water soluble carbon. In the case of WSA fractions, their carbon content was more affected in the 1-2 mm than in 0.5-1 mm fraction.

The paper describes water quality in the Raszynka River based on selected chemical parameters dependent on different land use. The research was carried out in the Raszynka River catchment, characterized by a small surface area (75.9 km2) and length (17.14 km). The river is a right tributary of the Utrata River. It is located in the Piaseczno and Pruszkow districts in the Mazowieckie voivodship. The dominant type of land use in the basin is agricultural land. Water samples were collected from 2017 to 2019 from previously designated research points at similar distances along the river. Selected physicochemical indicators examined in the samples include total alkalinity, electrolytic conductivity (EC), pH, and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Moreover, the concentration of selected substances was determined, including nitrogen compounds: NO3- (nitrates) and NH4+ (ammonium), TP (total phosphorus), and Cl- (chlorides). The results showed that the values of some of the examined indicators do not meet the standards set for first-class surface water quality. Indicators significantly exceeding the limit included ammonium, chlorides, and pH. The highest concentration of chlorides, ammonium, and nitrate was found in urbanized areas. The highest concentrations of total phosphorus and COD were determined in agricultural areas and total alkalinity in meadows.

AbstractSoil organic carbon (SOC) in agricultural land forms part of the global terrestrial carbon cycle and it affects atmospheric carbon dioxide balance. SOC is sensitive to local agricultural management practices that sum up into regional SOC storage dynamics. Understanding regional carbon emission and sequestration trends is, therefore, important in formulating and implementing climate change adaptation and mitigation policies. In this study, the estimation of SOC stock and regional storage dynamics in the Ondavská Vrchovina region (North-Eastern Slovakia) cropland and grassland topsoil between 1970 and 2013 was performed with the RothC model and gridded spatial data on weather, initial SOC stock and historical land cover and land use changes. Initial SOC stock in the 0.3-m topsoil layer was estimated at 38.4 t ha−1 in 1970. The 2013 simulated value was 49.2 t ha−1, and the 1993–2013 simulated SOC stock values were within the measured data range. The total SOC storage in the study area, cropland and grassland areas, was 4.21 Mt in 1970 and 5.16 Mt in 2013, and this 0.95 Mt net SOC gain was attributed to inter-conversions of cropland and grassland areas between 1970 and 2013, which caused different organic carbon inputs to the soil during the simulation period with a strong effect on SOC stock temporal dynamics.

As an alternative to traditional methods of agricultural soil tillage, reduced tillage allows for the reduction of certain commonly used tillage operations. Soil quality improvement by reducing soil tillage is one from the tools of sustainable agriculture [1]. Reduced soil tillage involves treatments that reduce the number of mechanical operations, including seeding, nutrition, and plant protection [2]. From an ecological point of view, this type of cultivation can preserve soil fertility in the long term and protect soil from degradation (soil

Changes in the agricultural management and climatic changes within the past 25 years have had a serious impact on soil organic matter content and contribute to different carbon storage in the soil. Prediction of soil carbon pool, validation, and quantification of different models is important for sustainable agriculture in the future and for this purpose a long-term monitoring data set is required. RothC-26.3 model was applied for carbon stock simulation within two different climatic scenarios (hot-dry with rapid temperature increasing and warm-dry with less rapid temperature increasing). Ten years experimental data set have been received from conventional and organic farming of experimental plots of Mendel University School Enterprise (locality Vatín, Czech-Moravian Highland). Average annual temperature in this area is 6.9°C, average annual precipitation 621 mm, and altitude 530 m above sea level. Soil was classified as Eutric Cambisol, sandy loam textured, with middle organic carbon content. Its cumulative potential was assessed as high. Results showed linear correlation between carbon stock and climatic scenario, and mostly temperature and type of soil management has influenced carbon stock. In spite of lower organic carbon inputs under organic farming this was less depending on climatic changes. Conventional farming showed higher carbon stock during decades 2000–2100 because of higher carbon input. Besides conventional farming was more affected by temperature.

Global climate change influences plant invasion which spreads all over the Europe. Invasive plants are predominantly manifest negative impacts, which require increased attention not only from ecologists. The research examines the possibilities offered by geospatial technologies in mapping the spatial spread of invasive plants of the genus Solidago. Invasive plant population was investigated at two localities, Malý Šariš and Chminianska Nová Ves in Slovakia, as well as the mapping of the area by multispectral imaging to determine the spectral reflectance curve of the monitored plant species. Using spatial analyses in the geographic information system, we evaluated changes in the plant density in the two localities. Based on the obtained results, we found that the number of individuals (ramets) in the Malý Šariš is significantly increasing, while in the examined area of Chminianska Nová Ves, there is a decrease in the number of Solidago spp. in the last monitored year. At the same time, we can state that in the areas with the highest increase in the number of ramets, the highest plant density per hectare was also recorded. We can also say that due to the spectral proximity of the surrounding vegetation, the spectral resolution in four spectral bands is insufficient for the classification of multispectral records in the case of Solidago spp. and cannot replace the advantages of high spectral resolution hyperspectral imaging, which significantly refines the feature space for Solidago spp. and the surrounding vegetation.