Attila Stingli

Soil condition and plant interrelations in dry years

Our objectives were to assess and rank 3 soil condition variants - root zone improving (RI), mulch leaving (NIL) and minimum disturbing (MD) - suitability to soil quality improvement and demonstrate the plant responses to different soil state and rind a possible relation between soil condition and plant growth under extreme climate. To rank the soil-plant interrelations twelve soil and plant factors were assessed; quality and depth of loosening state, surface protection by plants and stubble residues, soil aggregation, earthworm number, water supply in the root zone, tillage-induced C-flux, rooting depth of plants, yield, dry biomass and biomass recycling. Finally, seven fundamental requirements were selected to mitigate climate-stress and to improve plant resistance to the heat damage. A climate damage mitigation soil tillage strategy can establish a harmony between soil conservation and the demands of crop production.The results of a small-pot experiment of cadmium-loading (5 mgkg) with the addition of zinc (5 mgkg) carried out are introduced in this paper. For this, soil samples were taken from 4 sites of plough-land, grassland and forest land-use types. Accumulation characteristics of the two metals as well as their interaction with the soil properties were analysed. The results show that land-use has significant effect on zinc uptake. There is close correlation between the zinc and cadmium uptake of plants as well as that cadmium concentration of soils plays an important role in it. Zinc shows positive correlation while cadmium shows negative correlation with organic matter. Beside organic colloids, inorganic colloids i.e. clay fraction also showed close correlation.The effects of soil and climatic properties was studied on the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) concerning on the heavy metal content of the plants. During this study the distribution of cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, and zinc was studied within a plant. Sampling was carried out in the same period of subsequent three years between 1995 and 1997. Our hypothesis was that the individuals of the same species has similar physiological answer for the same environmental properties. In this study we found no significant differences among the different plant’s parts and years. Our results can reveal that the ecological indication of plants could be major driver of agro-environmental studies to recognize unusual patterns of soil attributes.

Effect of Soil Physical State on the Earthworms in Hungary

Hungarian authors have long been discussing the role of earthworms in improving soil productivity. Earthworm counts in our higher quality soils are similar to those found in soils where more attention is paid to earthworm activity. Negative impacts that are independent of farming—such as sustained dry spells in the summer—also affect earthworm counts. Negative impacts that definitely depend on farming include land use causing soil moisture loss, deep stubble treatment leaving the soil without cover, and ploughing in the summer without subsequent pressing. The climate change is having both positive and negative impacts. Weather patterns are causing losses but adopting climate mitigating tillage are generating benefits. In the trials results so far show that tillage focusing on preserving soil moisture, structure, and organic materials, covering the surface in the critical months as well as adequate soil loosening are fundamental pre-requisites for making the soil a favourable habitat for earthworms.

Determining various soil tillage and nutrient loss in soil protection methodology

Soil erosion by water is a major worldwide problem with both on-site effects for agriculture and off-site effects regarding sedimentation problems (Schwertmann et al., 1987). Surface runoff influences soil erosion and the amount of nutrients and pesticides lost from agricultural fields to surface waters (Ulen, 1997). And this runoff of nutrients can reduce the yields of crops and to lower the productivity of soil. Runoff volume and intensity depend on interaction between rainfall amount, intensity and seasonal distribution, and soil hydrological properties, surface roughness and slope. Water runoff and soil erosion are also remarkably influenced by soil cultivation. Their decline is generally recognized, as no-tillage and mulch tillage systems are used more extensively on crop land (Basch et al., 1998). In addition, runoff may represent a significant water loss and a source of pollution also when it occurs as consequence of crop irrigation (Tanji and Hanson, 1990). Therefore, agricultural practices which could help to reduce storm runoff losses, may turn out to be suitable also in the containing of water losses due to irrigation return flow and the related pollution potential (Bazzoffi, 2002). Among the human activities that cause the degradation of the environment, the conservation of natural soil to agriculture, mechanization, irrigation and the indiscriminate use of pesticides and fertilizers are the most important factors determining the loss of natural habitats and soil degradation (WRI, 2001). A soil through the favorable physical and biological features can simultaneously be the main factor of the cultural environment and the crop production (Birkds, 2002). The conventional tillage system, which is based on ploughing is not the best choice, for that farmers, who like to preserve the fertility, the humus contain and the good condition of the soil. In an agronomical respect ploughing may cause risk, if it increases the erosion harm, or gives a bad quality (extremely cloddy or puddly) and increases the number of secondary operations (possible recompaction and dust formation). At the same time the cold and dust formation or increasing the erosion and compaction harms are the environment risk factors of the ploughing. (Birkas et al., 2001).

Monitoring of insects and natural enemies in their food chain under different tillage systems

Concerning the effect of conservation tillage systems on the occurrence of pests, relatively not much experimental results are known in Hungary. The aim of our research is to investigate crop protection questions related to soiland environment conservation tillage and crop sequence. In our experiment we intend to investigate the effect of different soil tillage systems on insects and their natural enemies. Crop protection observations have been carried out in our experiment set up in 2003. The experimental field is situated in J6zsef-major (SZIE GAK

The connection between physical and agronomical texture of soil

The soil condition can bp quantified by its environmental impacts and suitability to crop production. Soil through the favourable physical and biological features, can be simultaneously the main factor for the cultural environment and crop production (Birkas, 2002). In conventional tillage system, which based on ploughing is not the best choice, for that farmers, who like to preserve the fertility, the humus contents and best suitable condition of the soil. In an agronomical aspect, ploughing may cause severe risk, if it increases the erosion harm, or gives a bad quality (extremely cloddy or puddly) and increases the number of secondary operations (possible recompaction and dust formation). At the same time the cold and dust formation or increasing the erosion and compaction harms are the environmental risk factors of the ploughing. Other environmental risk factors of the ploughing are the, increasing C02 emission, decreasing organic mattpr decomposition and disturbing the life site of the earthworms (Birkas et al., 2001).