scholarly journals Verification of Appropriateness of Selected Pedotransfer Functions for the Basic Use in Agriculture of the Czech Republic

Author(s):  
Vítězslav Vlček ◽  
Vítězslav Hybler

Soil is a huge reservoir of water used by plants in periods without precipitation and significantly affects the hydrological balance of any territory. To evaluate the hydrological balance of any piece of the land given, it is therefore necessary to carry out the analysis of the hydro-physical conditions. To speed up and simplify the determination of basic hydro-physical properties of soil man developed and began to use the so-called pedotransfer functions (PTF). Comparison of domestic and foreign works, however, faces problems such as the definition of available water supplies in different countries. In the research project “Specification of the available supplies of nitrogen and water in the soil profile and determining the effective depth of crops’ roots” we have dealt with the selection of suitable pedotransfer functions necessary for basic agricultural production with the requirement of minimal amount of input data. For our research we chose several PTFs developed and used in the Czech Republic for a long time, with a minimum of input data, and several new PTFs from foreign authors with greater correlation, but also a greater need of input data, and we compared each other. The best correlation between values and the pedotransfer function for the field water capacity and for the wilting point seems to be the PTF according to Tomasella and PTF according to Batjes. Pedotransfer function according to Váša, in terms of volume of input data, appears better.

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbora Duží ◽  
Robert Osman ◽  
Jiří Lehejček ◽  
Eva Nováková ◽  
Pavel Taraba ◽  
...  

Abstract Citizen science is a relatively new phenomenon in the Czech Republic and currently a general overview of existing citizen science projects is not available. This presents the challenge to uncover the ‘hidden’ citizen science landscapes. The main objective of this paper is to explore the (public) representation of citizen science (CS) projects and to describe their heterogeneity. The study aims to answer the question of what type of projects in the Czech Republic meet the definition of citizen science. Based on a specific methodological data-base search approach, we compiled a set of CS projects (N = 73). During the classification process, two general citizen science categories were identified. The first group (N = 46) consists of “pure” CS projects with a prevalence towards the natural sciences, principally ornithology, and thus corresponding to general European trends. Citizens usually participate in such research in the form of data collection and basic interpretation, and a high level of cooperation between academia and NGOs was detected. The second group of “potential” CS projects (N = 27) entails various forms of public participation in general, frequently coordinated by NGOs. Based on these results, we discuss the position of citizen science in the Czech Republic, including socially-oriented citizen science. Further research is strongly encouraged to achieve a more in-depth insight into this social phenomenon.


2020 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hana Skokanová ◽  
Tomáš Slach

The  concept  of  Green  Infrastructure  (GI)  is  still  relatively  new  in  the  Czech Republic. When looking at the definition of GI, one can recognise a  relationship  with  the  Czech  Territorial  System  of  Ecological  Stability  (TSES),  which  is  defined  as  “an  interconnected  system  of  natural  as  well as modified semi-natural ecosystems keeping the natural balance”. TSES is a designed system and is an integral part of territorial plans. This article focuses on TSES and its relationship to GI, how it is implemented in  a  Czech  case  study  representing  intensively  used  agricultural  region  in  South  Moravia,  what  the  main  obstacles  are  to  its  implementation  and how TSES can contribute to the connectivity of the landscape. Our results show that nearly two thirds of the planned TSES in the case study area  already  exist  to  some  degree.  There  is  a  difference  between  the  number  and  the  area  of  existing  TSES  elements:  the  area  of  existing  elements  shows  higher  relative  values  than  the  number.  This  is  mainly  due to bio-centres that exist in large forest complexes and their pre-set minimal parameters. Creation of TSES elements increases connectivity of GI, especially those characterised as core areas and bridges


Author(s):  
Břetislav Andrlík

The paper deals with the efficiency of road tax in the tax system of the Czech Republic, focusing on the administrative costs of taxation on the timeline 2005 to 2009. It contains a theoretical definition of tax efficiency, and describes the types of costs connected with taxes. From this perspective it focuses on quantifying the direct administrative costs of road tax. Direct measurement of administrative costs is done by using the method called the method of recounted worker which classifies employees of local tax authorities in separate groups and assigns each group a specific number of employees for each reference road tax using the conversion factors. Then it defines the total expenditure of local tax authorities using the coefficients for a particular monitored tax and it provides administrative costs as a percentage of road tax receipts. It can be said from obtained results that direct administrative costs of road taxes are higher, especially if the Ministry of Finance (2004) states that the average direct administrative costs of the tax system in the Czech Republic reach about 2 %. The results achieved in individual surveyed years are for road tax in relation to the reported average value of direct administrative costs of the tax system in the Czech Republic, increased on average by about 1.96 percentage point. Finally, the results of measurements indicating the proposed amendment are discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 136-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Vácha ◽  
M. Sáňka ◽  
O. Sáňka ◽  
J. Skála ◽  
J. Čechmánková

The upper values of the extractability of trace elements (As, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in 2 mol/L HNO<sub>3</sub> and 0.025 mol/L ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) (compared with their pseudototal content in aqua regia) for determination of prevailing anthropogenic and geogenic soil load were proposed and compared with the results of the other 30 Fluvisol samples collected from the Labe fluvial zone. The increased geogenic load of Fluvisols was confirmed in the case of Be and As in some localities where low extractability with increased pseudototal contents were detected as opposed to the other elements when their increased pseudototal contents were followed by their increased extractability. The maps of probability of increased geogenic soil load in the area of the Czech Republic based on the comparison of geological substrates and trace element load were constructed. The combination of proposed elements extractability values for geogenic load together with developed maps is a suitable tool for the definition of prevailing Fluvisol or sediment load on some localities in the whole area of the Czech Republic. The results can be also a useful tool in the decision making processes regarding dredged sediment application on agricultural soil (support tool for legislative norms, Direction No. 257/2009 Sb.).


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 681
Author(s):  
Róbert Babuka ◽  
Andrea Sujová ◽  
Václav Kupčák

Research Highlights: One of the priorities of the European Commission is to build up an effective circular economy based on recycling and multiple use of materials. Wood biomass is a renewable raw material and can be used several times in a cascading sequence. Each country has a unique situation regarding the availability and utilization of wood sources. Background and Objectives: The objective of this study was to analyze wood flow in the Czech Republic using the cascading principle of biomass use. The specific situation in the Czech Republic lies in a lack of valid and reliable input data from official statistics. Therefore, the reverse input method was applied. Materials and Methods: Input data analyses of roundwood sources and foreign trade were based on official statistical data. The calculation of raw wood volume consumption in primary processing was performed based on the data after our own correction and recalculation. It was then possible to build up a basic model of multi-stage cascade wood use. The input volume of roundwood was divided among all types of primary processing production using conversion factors. Results: Cascading use of wood (CUW) showed the level of efficiency of the resource. Official statistical input data and the reversed input data regarding raw wood volume entering wood processing revealed differences at a level of 27%. The overall CUW in the Czech Republic indicates a high rate of wood use in primary processing with low added value and in generating energy. Conclusions: The reverse input method reveals the real situation of wood consumption irrespective of the level of official statistical data. It is suitable to apply in an environment of incomplete or incorrect input data. CUW in Czechia showed an opportunity for increasing the efficiency of wood utilization. The structure of wood use needs to be optimized towards creating greater added value.


2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (No. 4) ◽  
pp. 150-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Šedivý ◽  
P. Born ◽  
J. Vostřel

The Rosy rustic moth (<I>Hydraecia micacea</I>) has been a pest of hop in Czech hop regions for a long time. It causes most severe damages in hop gardens infested by quackgrass (<I>Elytrigia repens</I>) on waterlogged<B> </B>areas. Larvae emerge from the second half of April to the middle of May. The sum of effective temperatures (SET) necessary for hatching larvae has been determined to be 78.6C over a 4-year average. Young larvae first feed on leaves of quackgrass, and later move to hop plants where they feed inside the shoots and rootstocks. Occurrence and damage are<B> </B>most frequent at the edges of hop gardens and in places with anchorages between two hop gardens. The ichneumonid wasp <I>Ichneumon sarcitorius</I> and the fly <I>Lidella thompsoni</I> are the most common parasitoids of this pest. Numbers of males caught in pheromone traps were very low. More males were trapped near hop gardens typical for repeated harmful occurrence of the rosy rustic moth. Females trapped in a light trap from the second half of August to the last decade of September had already full-developed eggs in their ovaries.


2008 ◽  
Vol 54 (No. 11) ◽  
pp. 505-509
Author(s):  
J. Hron ◽  
J. Štůsek ◽  
M. Arnošt ◽  
J. Huml

Abstract: The paper derives from the working and publication activities from research project “Chances of product diversification on behalf of improvement of competitive advantage in the small and middle-size farming business in the Czech Republic”. This paper deals with the critical success factors for successful diversification at the small and middle-size farming business. For the purpose effective implementation of the diversification have been identified the principal influences of this issue. Besides of that, we have tried to measure a diversification’s impact for an entrepreneurial profit in agricultural area. There is a definition of “diversification” as new farmer’s activities for using profit opportunity. On the base of 50 units-exploration has been made a hypothesis validation of the most often impulse for doing diversification. That is an effort to utilize more effectively the product factors of farming business. Further, there was a validation of the effective and efficiency diversifications‘ characters.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 34-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Miháliková ◽  
S. Matula ◽  
F. Doležal

The database of soil hydrophysical properties in the Czech Republic called HYPRESCZ was created. It is based on the European database HYPRES, HYdraulic PRoperties of European Soils, and follows its structure with few modifications. It collects the available data from the Czech Republic from which pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for the estimation of soil hydrophysical properties from easily available soil properties can be derived and 2101&nbsp;database entries were collected. The entries have different quality of data, out of the total number of entries 707 entries were applicable to PTFs derivation for the estimation of soil water retention curves (SWRCs). After elimination of replicates, finally 159 unique soil horizons (arable land only) were used for PTFs derivation. The parametric continuous pedotransfer functions for estimation of SWRCs in the Czech Republic were derived within this study and are based on W&ouml;sten&rsquo;s model. The retention curves were estimated using both these newly derived PTFs and W&ouml;sten&rsquo;s original model, which was derived for European soils in general. The uncertainty of estimation was evaluated, employing the root mean squared error (RMSE) and the coefficient of determination (R<sup>2</sup>) comparing the PTF-estimated and the directly fitted retention curves. The reliability of the newly derived PTFs for Czech soils was higher (RMSE = 0.059 cm<sup>3</sup>/cm<sup>3</sup> and R<sup>2</sup> = 71%) compared to W&ouml;sten&rsquo;s general PTFs (RMSE = 0.11 cm<sup>3</sup>/cm<sup>3</sup> and R<sup>2</sup> = 36%).


2006 ◽  
Vol 418 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 31-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooks B. Ellwood ◽  
Jenaro L. García-Alcalde ◽  
Ahmed El Hassani ◽  
Jindrich Hladil ◽  
Francisco M. Soto ◽  
...  

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