MORAVIAN GEOGRAPHICAL REPORTS - Institute of Geonics ...

Vol. 18, 4/2010 MoraVian geographical reports
grassland and 297 ha orchards. About 42% of the land
is designated as a protected area. A part of the area
is designated as a Protected Landscape Area (Ždárské
vrchy Hills); a part of the area is designated as
a drinking water protected zone (Vír reservoir dam).
Soils in the case study area are heterogeneous. Three
main soil types were found in the catchments (Source:
Soil map of the Czech Republic, characterization
according to FAO Soil Classification). The first one,
which covers about 54% can be mostly found on slopes
of the catchment area and is classified as Dystric
Cambisol with sandy loam and loamy sand topsoil
(Fig. 3). The bedrock is weathered and fractured.
The second and the third soil types are classified
as Eutric Cambisol and Dystric Planosol and cover
approximately 13% and 8% of the case study area,
respectively. The prevailing parent rock consists
of weathered paragneiss and erosion products,
phyllites, shales, greywackes, granites and their
erosion products.
Main threats to soil in the case study area are
represented by soil erosion caused by water, soil
compaction, loss of organic matter and to a limited
extent also by diffuse soil contamination.
Data on soil and farming practices were collected from
the questionnaires by a soil protection expert and
tabulated as output. Farmers in the case study region
were interviewed (semi-structured interviews) as to
adopted policies and farming practices. Interviews
were conducted also by soil conservation expert.
Farms were visited and all interviews were performed
face-to-face.
Soil degradation
problem
In the following, the outline of the questionnaire and
the questions contained are described. The survey
consisted of the following parts:
• General part (contact information),
• Related soil characteristics and farming practices,
• Assessment of soil conservation measures and
farming practices in dependence on crop products,
• Effects of soil conservation measures on the soil
threats.
3. Results and discussion
The main soil degradation problem (Tab. 1) in the
case study area is water soil erosion due to large plots
predominantly used as arable land, hilly landscape or
steep slopes in highlands; intensive farming practices,
and frequent extreme hydrological events. Most of the
soil lost by erosion comes from the cropland.
Soil compaction occurs due to intensive conventional
farming on arable land (using heavy machinery)
especially in the lower part of the case study area
(around Brno City – farms 7 and 8). The loss of soil
organic matter results from the continual soil erosion
process. Main causes of the loss of organic matter
are conventional farming practices without applying
manure and other organic matter. It is also linked
with the decreasing water retention capacity of soils,
which in turn is caused by compaction and land
conversion. The loss of organic matter leads to the
decreasing natural crop productivity of soils and to
decreases yields.
Farmers’ perception of the severity of soil degradation
problems in their area is presented in Tab. 1. There was
no difference between the opinion of farmers about the
Severity on the farms
farm 1 farm 2 farm 3 farm 4 farm 5 farm 6 farm 7 farm 8
Soil erosion (water) 3 3 2 3 3 2 4 4
Soil erosion (wind) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Loss of organic matter 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3
Carbon balance 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3
Diffuse contamination 1 1 0 1 1 1 3 3
Compaction 3 1 0 0 0 0 3 3
Acidification 2 1 0 2 2 1 2 2
Retention capacity 3 1 1 1 1 1 4 4
Off-site damages 2 1 1 1 2 1 4 4
Tab. 1: Estimation of the severity of soil degradation problems on various farms
Source: own assessment, interviews
Note: The numbers indicate the severity of soil degradation problems at farms examined by means of questionnaire 2 with
the classification ranging from 5 (severe) to 0 (no problem). The rating was made through interviewing different farms.
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