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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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...