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Agricultural land abandonment represents a significant landscape-forming process affecting vegetation structure, soil stability, and the functionality of agroecosystems. This paper focuses on the identification and mapping of agricultural unused land (AUL) in the cadastral territory of Velke Trencianske Stankovce (Trencin district, western Slovakia). The analysis is conducted on 371 state-owned parcels and parcels with unknown or unidentified ownership managed by the Slovak Land Fund, covering a total area of 98.0...

Peat is one of the most important natural resources in Latvia. Peat extraction in Latvia occurs mainly from raised bogs (high bogs) and represents an important economic sector, mainly focused on horticulture. Of the total affected area, which exceeds 50 thousand hectares, approximately 18 thousand hectares are no longer actively exploited and require management, renaturalization or recultivation. Since the main tool for preventing rapid degradation of cutover peat soils is vegetation restoration, one of the scenar...

Soil microelements play an essential role in plant nutrition and in the biochemical and physiological processes that influence crop growth, development, and productivity. Imbalances in the availability of micronutrients may lead to nutrient deficiencies, reduced fertilizer efficiency, and lower agricultural yields. This study aimed to evaluate the content of important soil microelements, such as zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn), and to analyze their relationship with agricultural crop producti...

Understanding the ability of plants to accumulate trace elements from soils is essential for environmental monitoring and phytoremediation studies. This research investigates the bioaccumulation capacity of the plant Amaranthus viridis and Chenopodium album in relation to the chemical composition of the soils in which it grows. Concentrations of trace elements including Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Co were determined in both plant tissues and corresponding soil samples. To evaluate the ability of the plant t...

The Topolnitsa River basin is a vulnerable agricultural area affected by mining and metallurgical pressure. Irrigation with surface waters and contrasting soil properties may increase secondary contamination. This study develops the Chemical Line of Evidence (Chem-LoE) within the TRIAD framework of an advisory system for ecological risk assessment. The focus is on riparian and floodplain agricultural soils, mainly alluvial-meadow and deluvial-meadow soils. Copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and arseni...

Arbuscular mycorrhiza, a widespread mutualistic association between fungi of the phylum Glomeromycota and plant roots, plays an important role in improving plant nutrition and tolerance to environmental stress. Through this symbiosis, fungi supply mineral nutrients and enhance resistance to drought and pathogens, while receiving assimilates from the host plant. This study was conducted on a commercial plantation of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) in southwestern Slovakia. The plantation was inoculated with mycorr...

A health-friendly crop rotation system for soil is an essential tool for sustainable agriculture, especially in the context of achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal. Therefore, the research aims to assess the integration of three crops beneficial to soil health into the production of winter wheat and winter rapeseed every third year and their socio-economic and environmental impacts in Latvia. The research results revealed that crop rotation has a significant impact on the economy of farms, and only ...

This study evaluates the impact of NPK fertilization on soil chemical properties, nutrient dynamics, and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) yield under field conditions in Western Romania. The experiment was conducted on a chernozem soil, where different fertilization rates were applied to assess their influence on key soil parameters, including pH, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, and selected microelements. Soil samples were collected at different growth stages of sunflower and analyze...

The influence of the noosphere on the natural environment is increasingly growing under modern conditions, which in many cases leads to critically dangerous consequences in terms of environmental pollution. The ecological situation is significantly worsened by phenolic compounds of exogenous origin, whose migration involves one of the primary stages – their physical absorption in soils. We investigated the adsorption peculiarities of phenol and m-cresol in Fluvisols distributed in Western Georgia. It was establi...

The paper aimed to present the quality of some soils from the West Region from Romania. The soil types who were studied occupied a surface of 4.013 ha in Arad Department. The main soil types who was founded in this area is Chernozems on 75.54% from the surface, Haplic Phaeozems on 2.43% from the studied surface, Pelosols on 7.66% from the surface, Vertisols on 13.15% from the surface, Gleysols on 0.36% from the surface and Solonetz on 0.86% from the studied surface. This paper presents a synthesis of the limiting ...

Soil resilience is known as the ability to resist and recover from exposure to contaminants, climate change, erosion, anthropogenic activities and intensive use of resources, in order to maintain vital processes such as nutrient cycling, water retention, and structural stability. To remediate the affected soils, several integrated strategies, including bioremediation, hydrological management and the use of amendments can be applied. The usage of natural amendments represents a sustainable path for improving soil p...

West Romania Banat high plains in the Pannonian Basin are low slope and wet. Block subsidence, loess, and river lake beds built a wide glacis belt cut by marshy vales. We mapped soils and limits in six plains from Vinga and the Bega Timis gulf to Gataia Tormac Moravita and Buzias Timis, 43 cadastral units, 346000 ha farm. Data follow Romanian soil taxonomy 2012 and were joined with relief from a digital elevation model, sediment maps, canal and dike maps, and climate means at Arad and Timisoara (T 10.4–10.8C; P ...

Mining activities can influence agricultural environments by altering potentially toxic elements (PTEs) concentrations in different environmental compartments, promoting their accumulation and generating potential exposure pathways. This study analyzed PTEs in agricultural soil and irrigation water in the Santa Rosa mining district, Ecuador. Fourteen soil samples were collected from agricultural farms, and ten water samples were obtained from a nearby canal used for crop irrigation. PTEs levels were measured by XR...

The aim of the work was to assess relation between the chemical composition of the biomass of cover crops and the intensity of its decomposition during the winter period. Parameters for 13 cover crop species included contents of soluble sugars, cellulose and lignin (ADL), on the basis of which derived indicators were calculated – Sugars/ADL ratio and lignocellulosic index (LCI). Biomass decomposition was assessed according to weight loss after winter exposure. Results showed a significant variability in the chem...

According to the European Environment Agency, soil is involved in providing more than 90% of the total production related to human nutrition, animal feed, textile fibers and fuels, while also providing the raw material for all kinds of other related activities, such as horticulture and construction. In order to monitor soil quality, it is necessary: common analyzes for all types of soils (with soil samples in disturbed and undisturbed structure) and typical soil analyzes (for soils: unsaturated with basic cations,...

Soil liming is an essential component of sustainable soil management, affecting both crop yields, nutrient uptake efficiency, and environmental quality. Therefore, the research aims to assess the economic and environmental efficiency of soil liming in Latvia. This research compared the economic and environmental efficiency of crushed lime and limestone flour in Latvia, analysing the costs, benefits, and impacts of a six-year liming cycle on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and phosphorus leaching. The research resul...

The generation of leachates containing heavy metals, salts, and organic contaminants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) makes municipal solid waste landfills a major contributor to soil and water degradation. Because traditional remediation techniques are often cost-prohibitive, sustainable approaches such as phytoremediation have gained considerable attention. This research investigates the efficacy of Paulownia tomentosa (Oxytree) in restoring soils impacted by landfill leachates. In a controlled green...

The aim of this study is to identify an appropriate management practice applicable to permanent grassland ecosystems located in the low-altitude area of the Western Plain of Romania. To achieve this objective, a comprehensive study was conducted, initially focusing on determining the main soil types and their characteristics. The next stage involved performing soil analyses to identify the natural reserve of macroelements. Subsequently, the type of plant association that defines the permanent grassland ecosystem w...

Nature of Latvia is very diverse, and one of its most valuable land uses is natural meadows. A natural meadow is a bio-top of grasslands that has formed as a result of long-term grazing or mowing without artificial fertilization and without intensive soil cultivation. Such meadows are not sown with grass their species composition has developed naturally, and rare plant species are also often found there. They are not only part of a beautiful landscape, but also an important ecosystem that provides a habitat for ma...

This paper analyzes the impact of climate change on cereal crop yields: wheat, corn, and barley, in Constan?a County over the period 1994 2024, emphasizing the relationship between climatic variables (annual average temperature, total precipitation, and the number of hot days) and agricultural performance. Constan?a, one of Romania s most agroclimatically vulnerable regions, provides a relevant case study for Southeastern Europe. The research applies a quantitative methodology, combining climatic and agricultural ...

The identification of degraded territories has become an important component of spatial planning and development in the world, because land, both as a territory and as a natural resource, is limited, so much attention is paid to its efficient and sustainable use. There is no single definition of what constitutes a degraded territory. An important feature that characterizes these types of territories is their low value and limited use possibilities their full use cannot be initiated or continued without improvement...

Accurate estimation of soil organic carbon (SOC) is critical for carbon accounting in high-altitude ecosystems, where variability in soil properties challenges the use of standardized conversion factors. This study assesses the validity of the Van Bemmelen conversion factor (1.724) for estimating SOC from soil organic matter (SOM) across contrasting Andean ecosystems within the upper Pastaza River watershed in Ecuador, with a primary focus on paramo. A total of 109 soil samples were collected at 30 cm depth using ...

This study explores the possibility of creating detailed maps of organic carbon content in the arable lands of northern Kazakhstan. The technology is based on filtering satellite images with convolutional neural networks and calculating the coefficients of the multi-temporal soil line using remote sensing data with a resolution of 30 meters. Calculating the coefficient of the multi-temporal soil line allowed us to create a map of the bare soil surface, highlighting areas of soil cover heterogeneity. The resulting ...

The recurrence of droughts increased in the past decades and is foreseen to intensify affecting larger areas than today. As agriculture is among the economic sectors most vulnerable to climate change, with drought representing a key challenge for crop productions, this study assesses the probability of yield loss for major Romanian crops such as, winter wheat, maize, sunflower, grape, in response to varying intensities of drought. To achieve this, a probabilistic modeling framework was constructed, integrating the...

In the development of plant communities within permanent grasslands, key environmental factors include relief, climate, soil characteristics, groundwater, and anthropogenic influence. The primary objective of this study was to identify the interdependence between the botanical composition of the plant community, plant productivity, and the main biotope characteristics. The ecological and forage value assessment of the studied ecosystem involved evaluating species requirements for the following ecological indicator...

Cloudberry is a perspective berry crop for extracted peat bog recultivation in Latvia. The study aimed to assess the effect of different fertiliser doses on cloudberry variety Nyby vitality. In 2023, cloudberries were propagated and in September planted outside into outdoor flower beds (24 pots in each bed) with milled raw peat. The beds were separated into four treatments with different doses of complex fertiliser 12-8-16 with micronutrients: control C, N12, N24, and N36 (respectively, 0, 12, 24, and 36 kg ha-1 o...

This research was conducted for six years, in experimental fields located in B-rzava Plain, West part of Romania. The purpose of this research was to observe if a mixture of manure and calcium carbonate can improve some fertility indicators of soil. The monitored soil fertility indicators were: pH, humus content and nitrogen index. The mixture applied on the experimental field contain 20 t/ha cow manure and 4 t/ha calcium carbonate, being distributed in the first experimental year and in the fourth experimental ye...

A significant component of soil organic matter (SOM) is constituted by disintegrating plant residues containing particularly cellulose and lignin which are resistant to microbial decomposition. Yet, the degradation of lignin may begin already in the early stages of organic matter decomposition if there is a sufficient amount of available saccharides in the soil as these serve as a quick source of energy allowing the microorganisms to produce enzymes for lignin decomposition. The aim of this study was to verify whe...

While urban land use planning receives much attention in land management in Bulgaria, agricultural land use planning has been significantly neglected. Today, more than ever, effective and efficient land use planning is needed to address the global and local challenges, such as protecting prime agricultural lands for food production, achieving sustainable productivity gains, improving water use efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, etc. The objective of the paper is to review the international experience i...

The study is based on an assessment of the level of land disturbance by full-scale military operations and the emergence of land use deficits in certain territories. It has been determined that military operations cause disturbance of the earth's surface in the form of mechanical, physical and chemical changes in the soil, the negative consequences of which can be felt for decades. Territories that have been subjected to military operations become dangerous for the population for a long time and unattractive for i...

In the post-war period, the priority issues that will need to be addressed are the reconstruction of rural areas and ensuring not only food security but also environmental safety. The article draws attention to the fact that ensuring sustainable development of rural areas should become a priority task of the government of Ukraine, especially in the post-war period. The priority of such a task should be comprehensive and has to include: poverty alleviation, restoration of the state of the environment, ethno-cultura...

Environmental pollution by technogenic chemical elements is a significant problem of modern industrial cities. To determine remediation measures it is necessary to have information on heavy metal pollution of all industrial and public facilities of cities, adjacent territories, and soils in parks and city lawns. Content of chemical elements in soil and their concentrations are in close genetic relationship with the lithosphere (bedrock), atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere and show constant exchange of matter an...

The health of soil, groundwater, air and the entire environment of inhabited areas depends largely on the intensity of agriculture and its systems. In order to achieve the desired quantity, quality and economic profitability, it is necessary to apply large amounts of unnatural, often chemical substances in the production process in order to achieve the desired and profitable harvests. These are mainly industrial fertilizers, which, when used for a long time, can contaminate all components of the environment. Altho...

Potassium (K) is a crucial mineral nutrient that plays a significant role in various physiological and metabolic processes in plants. Disruptions in potassium supply can severely impair vegetative development, making efficient potassium fertilization strategies essential for maintaining plant health and productivity. As the most abundant inorganic cation in plant cells, potassium is vital for proper physiological functioning, primarily existing as a free ion (K?). It is indispensable for several physiological func...

This study evaluates the radioecological condition of soils in the vicinity of major industrial enterprises in Georgia, focusing on contamination by radionuclides (K-40, Cs-137, Sr-90) and heavy metals. Three key industrial regions: Rustavi (metallurgical and chemical industries), Bolnisi (polymetallic mining), and Gardabani (energy production) were selected as research sites. Spectrometric analysis was performed using the Atomtex Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICPE-9820) in compliance with GOST standards. T...

Since July 2023, the research institute VUHU has been the investigator of the European reclamation project REECOL. The first part of the paper summarizes the results of the successful completion of the working package WP3, which was led by VUHU and finished in 2024. Within four sub-tasks, the current reclamation situation in the individual project countries was mapped. The main part of the paper evaluates the research within the framework of another working package WP5 focused on short-term and long-term monitorin...

The objective of the paper is to develop a methodology for arable land planning, taking into account the modern trends in agricultural machinery technologies and the contemporary environmental requirements for soil cultivation. It was found that design standards for arable land can be developed in the direction of: plot area up to 150 ha; working stroke over 1200 m; and aspect ratio up to 11. The study was based on two groups of spatial planning projects: two projects according to the existing design standards for...

In order to predict water erosion processes on mountain slopes in the mountainous and foothill landscapes of Georgia, in May and September of 2024 a field scientific study was conducted in the ecosystems of Chiatura Municipality. As a result, five erosion-sensitive sites were selected, for which GPS coordinates and absolute heights above sea level were recorded and plotted on a digital map. Longitudinal and transverse profiles were made at the selected sites, and soil samples weighing up to 3 kg were collected. Te...

One of a country s most valuable natural resources is its soil, and since it cannot be replaced, it must be protected. In addition to being an important part of the environment with a variety of functions, it is crucial for agricultural and forestry productivity. Nevertheless, the soil is in danger due to a number of processes. In the Czech Republic, these are primarily water and wind erosion. Agroforestry systems are one of the options to reduce them. Furthermore, they can enhance water management, mitigate the e...

Soil organic matter (SOM) plays a crucial role in maintaining soil fertility and ecosystem stability by influencing nutrient cycling and water retention capacity. Climate change, manifested through rising temperatures, extreme precipitation variability, and increased frequency of extreme weather events, directly affects the dynamics of SOM decomposition and accumulation. This paper examines the mechanisms by which these climatic changes impact SOM stability, emphasizing their effects on agricultural and natural so...

Ensuring ecologically grown fodder for organic livestock farming has become an imperative matter for the development of the livestock sector in western Romania. Against this background, but also due to very good production results and the improving effects on soil fertility, more Romanian farmers are choosing to include, each year, fodder legumes in their crop rotation. The research conducted over three experimental years, in two agricultural areas from the Timis Plain, known as favorable for fodder pea crops, had...

In the current global food and environmental context, the cultivation of legumes crops is of particular interest, because of the high protein content of the grains for feed, as well as of the ability of these valuable species to fix a high amount of natural nitrogen in the soil. Due to its many agricultural advantages, soybean continues to be one of the most valuable crops cultivated in the world and one of the most important sources of plant protein both for human and animal feed. In Romania, soybean is cultivate...

Urban soil contamination with heavy metals is a growing environmental concern due to its adverse effects on human health, ecosystem stability, and soil productivity. The primary sources of this pollution include industrial activities, vehicular emissions, atmospheric deposition, mining operations, and improper waste disposal. As heavy metals such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), and chromium (Cr) accumulate in the soil, their persistence and low mobility make them difficult to degrade or rem...

This study aims to evaluate the effects of foliar fertilization (FF) on the yield and quality of sunflower seeds. Foliar fertilization (FF) applied to sunflower crops can have significant impacts on seed yield and quality, influencing their chemical composition and nutritional values. Unlike soil fertilization, which delivers nutrients through the root system, foliar fertilization supplies nutrients directly to the leaves, ensuring a rapid and efficient absorption of essential elements during critical growth stage...

This study investigates the effects of foliar fertilization (FF) on the yield and quality of corn grains, utilizing Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to optimize foliar treatment applications. The PCA approach enabled the identification of the most effective FF formulation for enhancing grain production and quality. The experiments were conducted in 2022 and 2023 at the university's experimental field, evaluating seven treatment variants, each with distinct chemical compositions labelled from V1 to V7, along with...

Between September 13th and 16th, 2024, heavy rainfall led to widespread flooding across the municipalities in the Senica district, as well as significant soil erosion on intensively farmed arable land. According to data from the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU), the Senica district received a total of 230 millimeters of precipitation during this period. In the village of Smolinske, located in the lowlands of Zahorie in western Slovakia, experienced substantial flooding of agricultural areas, leading to ...

Brown Coal Research Institute j. v. c. (VUHU) from July 2023, together with scientific teams from several European countries, participates as part of the EU research program in the solution of the REECOL project, which deals with the reclamation of areas affected by mining in European coal basins. This paper includes the results achieved in the preparation of the first sub-research report of the project, which deals with degraded soils. On the basis of archival data and own research, the concept of "soil degradati...

Agate-like soil cover structures (ASCS) of leached chernozems are common in some regions of Russia with a total area of 425 242 km2 (the republics of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, Orenburg, Samara, and Ulyanovsk regions). The term -agate-like structures- was proposed due to the fact that on remote sensing data they resemble a section of the Timan agate. The structures are formed on loamy and clayey Quaternary sediments with a thickness of 0.5-5 m, overlying Permian sediments (bedrock). It is possible to identify th...

The research is aimed at identifying the conditions for the formation of the ecological agriculture concept aimed at creating a sustainable, environmentally friendly and efficient agricultural production system. The main idea is to use natural processes and resources to ensure a harvest while maintaining the environmental balance. Ecological farming can be an important step towards sustainable agriculture and environmental sustainability, but it requires a balance between positive and challenging aspects, as well ...

The cultivation of American cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) with organic fertilizers is becoming more common in the world. With 180 ha of producing plantings and 376 tonnes of yearly production, Latvia is one of the largest cranberry producers in the world. The lack of knowledge on fertilization management can be an obstacle to a successful transition to organic farming. The objective of this study was to test the effect of organic fertilizer of animal origin on cranberry mineral nutrition status, plant ...