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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are introduced to the environment from anthropogenic and natural sources. The most significant natural source of PAH are wildfires and volcanic eruptions. The PAHs occurring in the soil mostly bind to the root system of plants. Phytodegradation, specifically rhizospheric degradation, can reduce the PAH levels in soil with the help of plants roots. A pot experiment was conducted to study the effect of application of soil amendments on the PAHs level in the burnt soil (BS). The aim of this study was to assess the effect of application of soil amendments (compost, biochar, and bentonite) on the PAHs level after performing experiment with two grass species (Lolium perenne, Festuca rubra). Biochar and compost turned out to be the most effective amendments, regardless of the used grass species. Phytomanaged BS without added amendments also demonstrated the potential for PAH dissipation, but only in the case of Festuca rubra. It has been proven that the application of soil amendments together with the test grass species induced important changes in the BS properties (alteration of soil pH with related change of Kow of individual PAHs; root system on which soil microorganisms thrive) which evoked an increased bioavailability of PAHs.

This study provides an illustration of the contemporary extinction trend of a selected wet grassland species, Pedicularis sylvatica, within a region of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, Czech Republic. Historically, it was a relatively common species in the study region, but it has been severely reduced in recent decades due to the abandonment of the traditional management of the grasslands, or inappropriate management practices, including extensive drainage, fertilisation, and liming. Low precipitation in recent years, a depleted soil seed bank, inbreeding in small, isolated populations, the inability to germinate, and the emergence of seedlings can also play an important role. After personal resurvey, P. sylvatica was not confirmed on 28 % of the localities where it was documented between two and 20 years ago. In a selected south-eastern subregion, only one of 19 localities persist nowadays. A steep decrease of local subpopulations of P. sylvatica points to the holistic problem of both the low-productive wet meadow species’ extinctions and their habitat collapses in central Europe. Without proper protection and management, it is likely that low-productive wet meadows will continue to decline and, in the next few decades, only a fraction of today’s already faint frequency will remain within a few higher-elevated subregions.

Fires have always been a natural component influencing ecosystems and driving their evolution; however, in recent years they have become too frequent and ecosystems are not able to cope with them anymore. Fires destroy the natural vegetation, which prevents the soil erosion, and affect the soil properties which delay the natural recovery of the fire affected area. This experiment was conducted to assess the phytotoxicity of fire affected soil and to investigate whether different soil amendments can help to decrease the negative effect of fire on soil properties. The study utilised the PhytotoxkitTM test. The tested burnt soil was supplemented with 3% w/w of the following individual soil amendments: bentonite, biochar, compost and diatomite. Then, the phytotoxicity tests were carried out with garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) and white mustard (Sinapis alba L.). The pH and electrical conductivity of soil were measured and it was revealed that the individual soil amendments affected the values of pH and electrical conductivity diversely. The highest root growth stimulation for Sinapis alba L. was observed when diatomite was added, whereas the most favourable amendment for the stimulating root growth of Lepidium Sativum L. were compost, diatomite and biochar, respectively. This study recommended repeated testing for the amendments that show a capability to stimulate the root growth and conducting tests on a wider group of plant species. info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Shopping centres usually occupy large areas of land development. However, their roofs are rarely used for purposes related to rainwater management and introduction of active biological surfaces. In Bielsko-Biała, thanks to the initiative of the originator and architect, an intense green roof was created on the rooftop of a shopping centre. In addition to the primary role of the roof as a garden that makes the housing estate more attractive, it also collects some of the rainwater and delays its outflow to the sewage system. Plants, shrubs and trees planted on the roof are watered almost exclusively with water collected in a tank located under the building, intended for retaining rainwater. These waters are pretreated before they reach the tank, i.e. they filter through the root layer of plants growing on the roof, and through the biologically active layer (substrate). This paper highlights some of the operating problems of the selected green roof. The authors focused on assessing the toxicity of rainwater flowing down from hardened surfaces on the roof of the shopping centre and the area occupied by the green roof. Relevant toxicity studies on these waters have been carried out in this regard. The research hypothesis that rainwater percolating through the selected soil material is not toxic and stimulates test plant growth was put forward. Tests of semichronic toxicity with the seeds of white mustard (Sinapis alba L.) prove that all the rainwater samples showed a stimulating effect on the test plant. The average root growth stimulation value during the period considered was –125%. It was confirmed that rainwater did not show toxic properties for white mustard seeds (Sinapis alba L.) and can be used for watering the garden constituting the green roof of a selected research facility. In the case of rainwater pH, it was found that the pH is adequate and has no toxic effect on the selected white mustard test plant (Sinapis alba L.). It confirms that the rainwater retained in this way can be used to water the green roof. The selected research facility meets the requirements set for green roofs.

Wildfires are occurring with an increasing frequency, and substances they generate can negatively affect the environment. A pot experiment with Lolium perrene was performed on burnt soil supplemented with organic (biochar, compost) and inorganic (NPK fertilizer) supplements and combinations of soil amendments in order to assess the possibility of aided phytomanagement of fire-affected areas. Soil amendments affect more aboveground biomass growth than underground biomass growth. Organic amendment, biochar, and compost promoted aboveground biomass growth; however, they did not increase the bioconcentration of metal elements in the roots. Unamended burnt soil achieved the highest bioconcentration of metal elements in underground biomass, while it produced significantly less aboveground biomass than burnt soil amended with biochar and with compost. Based on the ash composition from this study, aided phytostabilization appears to be a suitable phytomanagement method, as the priority is to rapidly recover vegetation in order to prevent soil erosion. This study therefore recommends selecting a suitable phytoremediation method based on the composition of ash.

Fires will become an increasingly frequent perturbation even under the conditions of the mild climate zone and will interfere with the agricultural landscape. Fire is a natural phenomenon, and depending on ecosystems, vegetation may develop and contribute to the occurrence and spread of fire. Vegetation of the sour cherry orchard located in the climatically dry conditions of the South Moravian Region, Czech Republic (CR), was evaluated. Vegetation assessment was performed using phytocenological relevé. In each variant, 10 relevé were recorded. Coverage of the found species was estimated directly in percentages. Moreover, the maximum height in the stand was measured for each type of plant. Biomass of individual plant species was calculated, using the biomass index (IB) equation. The IB values of individual plant species in the treatments were processed by employing a multidimensional analysis of the ecological data. Different vegetation management practices in an orchard change the species diversity of the vegetation and thus the fire hazards in the orchard conditions. Grassy interrow has the most grass biomass during the entire vegetation season, and therefore represents the greatest hazard and spread of fire. The most important grasses include Arrhenatherum elatius, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca pratensis, Lolium perenne, and Poa pratensis. On the contrary, bare soil conditions in the interrow are most suitable for annual species, and this is the place with the highest changes in the number of species during the growing season. Biomass of the orchard vegetation combined with dry and warm weather increases the fire hazard. Annual and perennial grasses have very good potential for the production of biomass, which increases the hazard of fire. The nature of the vegetation in the orchards has the potential for the actual start of a fire and its subsequent spread, however, under other environmental conditions. During hot and dry weather, dead biomass may accumulate resulting in increasing the hazard of large wildfires. Varied orchard management practices lead to a higher diversity of vegetation and make orchards, islands of biodiversity in the agricultural landscape.

Limited tillage provides a number of benefits, but a question remains how it affects weed community and biodiversity evolving from the weed community. Our field experiment was established in the cadastral area of Branišovice (South Moravian Region, Czech Republic). Three different tillage technologies were used in this field experiment: conventional tillage, minimum tillage, and no-tillage technology. In 2001–2004, infestation by weeds was evaluated in the stands of spring barley, winter wheat grown after a dicot pre-crop (rape, soybean), in the stands of wheat grown after wheat, and in stands of maize. The recorded weed species were divided according to the criteria of biological relevance. Based on the results of the four-year field experiment, it is possible to state that tillage technologies have only a limited influence on the intensity of weeding but substantially alter the species spectrum of weeds. Weed vegetation in the no-tillage variant exhibits higher values of biological relevance, which allows a higher occurrence of weed-dependent species of organisms. Weed vegetation in the minimum soil tillage variant has the lowest biological relevance values, which limits the occurrence of weed-dependent organisms. Alterations in weeding caused by different tillage technologies are part of the process of vegetation microevolution in the agricultural landscape.

Changes in climate, land use, and land management impact the occurrence and severity of wildland fires in many parts of the world. This is particularly evident in Europe, where ongoing changes in land use have strongly modified fire patterns over the last decades. Although satellite data by the European Forest Fire Information System provide large-scale wildland fire statistics across European countries, there is still a crucial need to collect and summarize in-depth local analysis and understanding of the wildland fire condition and associated challenges across Europe. This article aims to provide a general overview of the current wildland fire patterns and challenges as perceived by national representatives, supplemented by national fire statistics (2009–2018) across Europe. For each of the 31 countries included, we pres ent a perspective authored by scientists or practitioners from each respective country, representing a wide range of disciplines and cultural backgrounds. The authors were selected from members of the COST Action “Fire and the Earth System: Science & Society” funded by the European Commission with the aim to share knowledge and improve communication about wildland fire. Where relevant, a brief overview of key studies, particular wildland fire challenges a country is facing, and an overview of notable recent fire events are also presented. Key perceived challenges included (1) the lack of consistent and detailed records for wildland fire events, within and across countries, (2) an increase in wild land fires that pose a risk to properties and human life due to high population densities and sprawl into forested regions, and (3) the view that, irrespective of changes in management, climate change is likely to increase the frequency and impact of wildland fires in the coming decades. Addressing challenge (1) will not only be valuable in advancing national and pan-European wildland fire management strategies, but also in evaluating perceptions (2) and (3) against more robust quantitative evidence.

This study was carried out to assess the ecotoxicity of soil affected by wildfire using two laboratory toxicity tests, and to investigate the possibility of application of selected soil amendment into the burnt soil in order to improve its properties for faster post-fire reclamation. A phytotoxicity test is a fast-indicative test for revealing acute toxicity and was performed on quickly growing plant species Sinapis alba L. and Lepidium sativum L., while a pot experiment is a standardized toxicity test with a longer experiment duration and was carried out with Lolium perenne L., Festuca rubra L., Brassica juncea L. Diatomite, bentonite, compost, and biochar were supplemented to the soil. Regarding the phytotoxicity test only 3% w/w of biochar stimulated the growth of Lepidium sativum L. Pot experiment confirmed that effect of soil application amendments on biomass yield is more significant than the plant species. The average highest biomass yields were achieved in treatments with bentonite and diatomite. Subsequent research should focus on investigating possible combinations of soil amendments for burnt soil reclamation and complementing the experiments with chemical analysis.