Plant, Soil and Environment, 2018 (vol. 64), issue 10

Different carbon sources enhance system productivity and reduce greenhouse gas intensityOriginal Paper

Stephen YEBOAH, 3, Reanzhi ZHANG, Liqun CAI, Wu JUN

Plant Soil Environ., 2018, 64(10):463-469 | DOI: 10.17221/83/2018-PSE  

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of biochar, straw and nitrogen (N) fertilizer on soil properties, crop yield and greenhouse gas intensity in rainfed spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and to produce background dataset to improve nutrient management guidelines for semiarid environments. The two carbon sources (straw and biochar) were applied alone or combined with nitrogen fertilizer (urea, 46% N), whilst the soil without carbon amendment was fertilized by urea in the rates 0, 50 and 100 kg N/ha. The experiments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The greatest yields were found with...

Comparison of heat output and CO₂ respiration to assess soil microbial activity: a case of ultisol soilOriginal Paper

Xiuhong JIA, Haichuan CAO, Lanlan JIANG, Jihong YUAN, Shixue ZHENG

Plant Soil Environ., 2018, 64(10):470-478 | DOI: 10.17221/168/2018-PSE  

Glucose-induced microcalorimetry and carbon dioxide (CO₂) production are two widely applied methods to assess microbial activity in soil. However, the links among them, microbial communities and soil chemical properties based on large number of soil samples are still not fully understood. Seventy-two soil samples of different land uses were collected from an ultisol soil area in south China. The best correlation between the rate of heat output and the rate of CO₂ respiration occurred in 8-16 h reaction (R²...

Sensitivity of sunflower cultivar PR63E82 to tribenuron and propaquizafop in different weather conditionsOriginal Paper

Lukáš TICHÝ, Miroslav JURSÍK, Michaela KOLÁŘOVÁ, Václav HEJNÁK, Jiří ANDR, Jaroslava MARTINKOVÁ

Plant Soil Environ., 2018, 64(10):479-483 | DOI: 10.17221/343/2018-PSE  

The aim of this work was to verify and assess the tolerance of the PR63E82 (ExpressSun) sunflower cultivar to tribenuron, propaquizafop and their tank-mix combination in two rates under various weather conditions. Three small-plot field trials were carried out on sunflower in Prague, Czech Republic, from 2015 to 2017. High phytotoxicity (25-56%) of tribenuron (TBM) + non-ionic surfactant was observed in 2015 and 2016 when the sunflower was sown in mid-April. In 2017, phytotoxicity was significantly lower (4-6%), probably due to a later sowing of sunflower (May), and hence higher temperatures. The main symptoms of TBM phytotoxicity were leaf chlorosis,...

Association of carbon isotope discrimination with leaf gas exchange and water use efficiency in maize following soil amendment with superabsorbent hydrogelOriginal Paper

Wei YANG, Pin-Fang LI

Plant Soil Environ., 2018, 64(10):484-490 | DOI: 10.17221/463/2018-PSE  

The correlation of carbon isotope discrimination (△¹³C) with photosynthetic gas exchange and water use efficiency (WUE) in maize was investigated under low rainfall conditions with or without superabsorbent polymer (SAP). SAP (45 kg/ha) was mixed into the top 10 cm soil layer at sowing in lysimeters. Compared with the control plants not treated with SAP, the application of SAP increased net photosynthesis rate; stomatal conductance (g_s); transpiration...

The effect of mineral fertilizers and farmyard manure on winter wheat grain yield and grain qualityOriginal Paper

Ladislav HOLÍK, Lukáš HLISNIKOVSKÝ, Eva KUNZOVÁ

Plant Soil Environ., 2018, 64(10):491-497 | DOI: 10.17221/342/2018-PSE  

This study evaluated how organic manures and mineral fertilizers affect winter wheat grain and straw yields and grain quality properties. The analysed period of the long-term fertilizer experiment was established in Čáslav, Czech Republic, in 1955 and covers the seasons 2011-2014. The fertilizer treatments were: control; farmyard manure (FYM); FYM + P; FYM + K; FYM + PK; FYM + N₁; FYM + N₂; FYM + N₁PK; FYM + N₂PK and FYM + N

Impacts of technology and the width of rows on water infiltration and soil loss in the early development of maize on sloping landsOriginal Paper

Marcel HEROUT, Jan KOUKOLÍČEK, David KINCL, Kateřina PAZDERŮ, Jaroslav TOMÁŠEK, Jaroslav URBAN, Josef PULKRÁBEK

Plant Soil Environ., 2018, 64(10):498-503 | DOI: 10.17221/544/2018-PSE  

Soil erosion by water has become an issue in the cultivation of maize (Zea mays L.) on sloping lands in recent years. The following three technologies of tillage have been assessed: disc cultivator, strip-till and no-till (raw land). Seeding machine Kinze 3500 was used for sowing maize cultivar Silvinio FAO 210. The experiments were conducted within the years 2013, 2014 and 2016. Erosion was evaluated under simulated rain in three stages of maize growth. The following parameters of each tested tillage treatment were measured: water infiltration (mm), soil loss (converted to t/ha), dry matter yield...

Fertiliser from sewage sludge ash instead of conventional phosphorus fertilisers?Original Paper

Magdalena JASTRZĘBSKA, Marta KOSTRZEWSKA, Kinga TREDER, Przemysław MAKOWSKI, Agnieszka SAEID, Wiesław JASTRZĘBSKI, Adam OKORSKI

Plant Soil Environ., 2018, 64(10):504-511 | DOI: 10.17221/347/2018-PSE  

Recycling of phosphorus (P) from municipal waste for the use as a fertiliser can be an alternative to the non-renewable resources of this element as well as a method in the management of civilisation by-products that are a burden to the environment. An innovative phosphorus suspension fertiliser, produced on the basis of ash from incineration of sewage sludge and phosphorus solubilising bacteria Bacillus megaterium was compared in field trials with spring wheat conducted in 2014 and 2015 with superphosphate and phosphorite. The new fertiliser was not inferior to the commercial fertilisers in terms of the effect on wheat yield volumes, the...

Effect of drying temperature on the content and composition of hop oilsOriginal Paper

Adolf RYBKA, Karel KROFTA, Petr HEŘMÁNEK, Ivo HONZÍK, Jaroslav POKORNÝ

Plant Soil Environ., 2018, 64(10):512-516 | DOI: 10.17221/482/2018-PSE  

In terms of content, the paper is aimed at analysing and comparing the quality of fresh green hops and hops dried at two drying temperatures - 55°C (in the traditional manner) and 40°C (using the so-called gentle drying), regarding the maximum preservation of hop essential oils. Comparative experiments were carried out in an experimental chamber dryer with two Czech hop cultivars Saaz and Harmonie. The moisture content of hops at the beginning of drying was 75% and at the end of drying it was 9-10%. By lowering the drying temperature from 55°C to 40°C, the drying time in cv. Saaz prolonged from 8 to 10 h and for the...