Dr Oldrich Latal¹, Associate professor Petr Sarec², Martin Brtnicky³, Dr. Petr Novak², Dr. Jiri Holatko³, Vaclav Pecina³, Tereza Dokulilova³

¹Agrovyzkum Rapotin Ltd., Rapotin, Czech Republic, ²Faculty of Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic, ³Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic

This study aims at verifying the effect of farmyard manure (FYM) and of selected agents (Z’fix and NeoSol) on changes of soil properties. Their application should lead to improvement of soil physical properties and of organic matter fixation, to reduction of environmental risks, e.g. of water erosion, of tillage energy requirements, and to enhanced water infiltration. During 2014 – 2018, a field experiment was accomplished in locality Slovec (Czech Republic). The subject of interest was the topsoil (0–30 cm) from soil type Gleyic Phaeozem. Experimental variants (0.7ha each) were as follows: I [FYM]; II [FYM with Z’fix]; III [FYM with Z’fix + NeoSol]; IV [Control NPK only]. FYM was applied at rates: 50 t/ha (2014); 30 t/ha (2016). Additional NPK fertilizer (I–IV) was applied according to annual crop nutrient normative. The agent Z’fix was used as an activator of FYM biological transformation (5.5 kg/t). The agent NeoSol was used as soil activator (200 kg/ha; annually). In order to verify the effect, soil infiltration (circular infiltrometer 0.15m diameter); cone index (registration penetrometer PN-10); bulk density (Kopecky cylinders volume of 100 cm³); tillage implement draft (draught dynamometer with a strain gauge load cell S-38/200 kN) and chemical soil components (Corg, C:N ration and Ntot) were measured annually. Compared to the control, the application of FYM combined with the mentioned agents increased (I–III) soil infiltration by 10–15 %; Corg by 4.5–7.2 % and Ntot from 0.27 to 0.67 %. Moreover, it decreased (I–III) cone index by 13–35 %; bulk density by 5–12 %; tillage implement draft by 4.43–5.25 % (P<0.05) and C:N ratio from 9.15 to 4.50–5.16. The study confirmed that FYM application combined with utilization of activators positively influenced soil fertility and helped to reduce environmental risks. This work has been supported by the Project TH02030169.

Biography:

Oldrich Latal has been interested in the soil science, animal nutrition and livestock production.  His research interest’s: soil science – include soil quality, soil health, biochar and soil organic matter); animal nutrition – include evaluation of feeding ration and feeding nutritional value) and livestock production – include farm management, animal housing system and emissions assessment. He is involved in national research projects about soil quality from Technology Agency of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic (Rural Development). He is coordinator and co-coordinator of 5 projects. Example of projects:  TA04021390 – Biological transformation of organic matter as an effective tool for reducing NH3 emissions and utilisation of nutrients for soil characteristics ‘improvement. TH02030169 – Effect of biologically transformed organic matter and biochar application on the stability of productive soil properties and reduction of environmental risks and TH03030319 – Promoting the functional diversity of soil organisms by applying classical and modified stable organic matter while preserving the soil’s production properties.