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Biochar application to the soil has been recommended as a carbon (C) management approach to sequester C and improve soil quality. Three-year experiments were conducted to investigate the interactive effects of three types of amendments on microbial biomass carbon, soil dehydrogenase activity and soil microbial community abundance in luvisols of arable land in the Czech Republic. Four different treatments were studied, which were, only NPK as a control, NPK + cattle manure, NPK + biochar and NPK + combination of manure with biochar. The results demonstrate that all amendments were effective in increasing the fungal and bacterial biomass, as is evident from the increased values of bacterial and fungal phospholipid fatty acid analysis. The ammonia-oxidizing bacteria population increases with the application of biochar, and it reaches its maximum value when biochar is applied in combination with manure. The overall results suggest that co-application of biochar with manure changes soil properties in favor of increased microbial biomass. It was confirmed that the application of biochar might increase or decrease soil activity, but its addition, along with manure, always promotes microbial abundance and their activity. The obtained results can be used in the planning and execution of the biochar-based soil amendments.

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Genetic variability among 41 accessions of red pepper (<I>Capsicum annuum</I> L.) was assessed using eight microsatellite markers. Three of the microsatellite markers (<I>Hpms 1-1, Hpms 1-168, and Hpms 1-274</I>) had uniform spectra in all the analyzed plants. Two to eight alleles were detected for the remaining loci. In total, 28 alleles were detected, i.e. 3.5 alleles per one microsatellite locus on average. The highest number of different alleles was detected with <I>Hpms 1-5</I> (8 alleles) and <I>Hpms 2-21</I> primers (7 alleles). Molecular data were complemented with morphological measurements according to the descriptor list for the genus <I>Capsicum</I>. A dendrogram based on our genetic analysis suggests a high level of similarity between some of the accessions presumed to be distant and, at the same time, genetic variability between accessions of the same or similar name. These results show the possibility of duplicities in the current Czech collection of red pepper genetic resources.

Landfills are the most broadly used methods for the disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW). Leachate can be contaminated with pollutants that may pose a threat to the landfill surrounding namely soil, groundwater and surface waters.. Examination of leachate composition is determinative in long-term impact of landfills on the environment and human health. Moreover, it is essential to assess such prior knowledge for prevention of negative outcomes. The evaluation of the seasonal changes of landfill leachate and rainwater composition is presented in this paper. Research samples of leachate and rainwater were collected from February till June of 2017 (still ongoing) and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, series of trace elements, Subsequently the test of leachate toxicity for higher plants (Sinapis alba L.) was carried out. Up to now, the results do not indicate significant seasonal difference in landfill leachate composition, however the toxicity tests provided on Sinapis alba L. demonstrate that landfill leachates can present a significant source of contamination. This research can serve practical tools for evaluating quality and risk assessment for landfill leachate.