Jirina Száková

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague | CULS · Department of Agroenvironmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition

What is more effective in improving soil health indicators under limited moisture conditions: a feedstock or its biochar?. A soil rich in organic carbon (SOC-rich) and an SOC-poor soil, having similar texture, were amended with corncob (feedstock) or their biochar and incubated under optimum or low moisture conditions for 67 days. Residues increase...

Assessment of the plant’s ability to take up mercury (Hg) from polluted soil was affected by location, plant family, and species in two former cinnabar mining areas in the Czech Republic. At each location, seven sampling points were marked out in the vicinity of former shafts and dumpsites connected to the mining activity, where representative soil...

Nowadays, attention is focused on the lack of selenium in the average diet, which is a highly valued element in the body’s antioxidant system. The major metabolites of selenium are selenoproteins, which have an irreplaceable function in the body. This study focused on optimizing conditions for the biofortification of maize (Zea mays L.) with seleni...

Estimation and knowledge of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soils and herbaceous plants are vital for ecotoxicological reasons. This study explored PTE accumulation in the aerial organ (leaf) of herbaceous plants in PTE‐contaminated soils in a linear transect of three localities close to the Litavka River in Pribram, Czech Republic. Leaf accum...

Organic amendments are commonly applied singularly to soils to improve physical, biological and chemical properties, but their combination may be even more advantageous than when applied alone. In this study manure was applied singularly and in combination with biochar (90:10 and 50:50 ratios) to a drought prone agricultural Regosol in a field eval...

Lactic acid has gained considerable attention globally due to its multi-purpose application. Commercial lactic acid production uses the fungal species Rhizopus oryzae, which produces other organic acids. A crucial point of effective fungal organic acid production is matching the fungal strains’ requirements, where the carbon source plays a major ro...

Background: The total suspended particles (TSPs) and selected risk element contents were determined in two medium-sized cities, Litvínov and Sokolov (both in North Bohemia, Czech Republic), where the environment is adversely affected by opencast brown coal mining, coal-related industries, and the petrochemical industry. Methods: TSP samples were co...

Background Phytoextraction belongs to environmentally well-accepted remediation technologies to remove metals from contaminated soils. Due to long-time requirement, sufficient data for proper phytoextraction evaluation are missing. Four clones of fast-growing trees: two willow species (S1), Salix viminalis L. (Salix schwerinii E.L.Wolf × S. viminal...

Introduction Selenium (Se) deficiency, stemming from malnutrition in humans and animals, has the potential to disrupt many vital physiological processes, particularly those reliant on specific selenoproteins. Agronomic biofortification of crops through the application of Se-containing sprays provides an efficient method to enhance the Se content in...

Excess potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in soils require ad hoc approaches to salvage. Hence, this study explored the shoot accumulation of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) by herbaceous plants growing under previously established Salix and Populus clones Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) with compost and sewage sludge applications in an abandoned...

The removal of copper (Cu) in soils by green technology is less treated with urgency, as it is a plant micronutrient. We examined the efficiency of Cu shoot accumulation by herbaceous plants in Cu-contaminated and non-contaminated soils in Trhové Dusniky and Podles, respectively, in the Czech Republic. The total soil Cu content of 81 mg kg⁻¹ in Trh...

A pot experiment was provided to assess whether the application of beneficial fungi spores to the biochar-treated soil can improve plant growth and development. However, this hypothesis was not confirmed by the experiment. Only the sole application of sewage sludge-derived biochar (pyrolysed at 520 ℃) resulted in a significant increase in the maize...

The importance of blending biochar into manure prior to its application as a soil amendment was investigated by this laboratory and field study, hypothesizing an (i) increase in soil fertility; (ii) improvement in microbial activity; and (iii) reduction in manure‐induced CO 2 emissions after combining amendments. Biochar was mixed with manure (50:5...

Honey bees ( Apis mellifera L.) represent a random bio‐sampler integrating pollutants over space and time. An effective biomonitor for trace element (TE) pollution should provide a linear response to TE levels in the environment. However, uncertainties in detecting TEs originating in soil limit their use. To address this, nine experimental sites wi...

The differences between Hg methylation based on the origin of Hg in the soil

The poster shows differences between Hg methylation based on the origin of Hg

BACKGROUND Biochars have become one of the most intensively and extensively investigated soil amendment materials in terms of their production, application and fate in the soil because of benefits such as increased soil quality and fertility. Biochar from woodchips and bone char from meat bone waste from a poultry slaughterhouse were prepared at 30...

Two groups of invertebrates, terrestrial mollusks (Gastropoda) and Chrysomela populi leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), were sampled to estimate the suitability of these organisms as bioindicators of risk element pollution (predominantly Cd, Pb, and Zn) alongside the risk element concentration gradient in the contaminated area (former mining...

The accuracy of environmental risk assessment depends upon selecting appropriate matrices to extract the most risk-relevant portion of contaminant(s) from the soil. Here, we applied the chelatants EDTA and tartaric acid to extract a metal-contaminated soil. Pistia stratiotes was applied as an indicator plant to measure accumulation from the metal-l...

Excess potentially toxic elements (PTEs), including arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn), above permissible limits in the environment, have detrimental effects on trophic levels. Hence, imperative to devise advertent measures to address this situation, especially in the soil ecosystem: the major reservoir of many PTEs. Using aerial...

The aims of this study were (i) to specify real risk elemetnt (RE) uptake by wild terresrial mammals (A. sylvaticus and M. arvalis), (ii) to describe RE distribution in critical organs such as the liver and kidney, and (iii) to determine potencial differences in RE toxicokinetics with regards to individual species or sex. Three groups of experiment...

Five meadows along the Litavka River highly contaminated with heavy metals from mining were sampled for insects and spiders using pitfall traps. The sites are in the Příbram region of central Bohemia, Czechia, which was previously reported as one of the most polluted areas in Europe due to intensive mining and metal processing. The determination of...

The accuracy of environmental risk assessment depends upon selecting appropriate matrices to extract the most risk-relevant portion of contaminant(s) from the soil. Here we applied the chelatants Na-EDTA and tartaric acid to extract a metal-contaminated soil. Pistia stratiotes was applied as an indicator plant to measure accumulation from the metal...

Background and purpose The fertility of anthropogenic soils developed from dumpsites used for arable fields is not well-studied. The study aimed to evaluate the fertility of anthropogenic soils from an abandoned dumpsite in Awotan, Nigeria, by measurable indicators and the bioaccessibility of elements of selected plant species. Methods The study a...

Past human activities result in the formation of Anthrosols and the accumulation of nutrients. • Enrichment in physicochemical properties relates to the intensity of settlement activities. • The level of releasability contributes to the extended retention of nutrients in soils. • Past settlement sites represent nutrient-rich Anthrosols suitable for...

The study used scattered literature to summarize the effects of excess Cd, As, and Pb from contaminated soils on plant secondary metabolites/bioactive compounds (non-nutrient organic substances). Hence, we provided a systematic overview involving the sources and forms of Cd, As, and Pb in soils, plant uptake, mechanisms governing the interaction of...

The effect of soil selenate application to two different soils (Phaeozem and Cambisol) on biomass yield and selenium (Se) uptake by spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was investigated in a pot experiment. Additionally, organic amendment (fugate, i.e. liquid by-product from the biogas plant) was applied to assess (i) the effect of organic matter on...

Torrefaction and pyrolysis are thermal treatments of organic matter resulting in a solid residue called biochar. Changes of total and available nutrient contents in biochars were previously evaluated during the torrefaction and pyrolysis of wood, straw, sewage sludge, digestate, bone mill, etc. Total contents of P and K were concentrated in biochar...

Background Although fertilization and crop rotation practices are commonly used worldwide in agriculture to maximize crop yields, their long-term effect on the structures of soil microorganisms is still poorly understood. This study investigated the long-term impact of fertilization and crop rotation on soil microbial diversity and the microbial co...

Incubation and sterilization process like autoclaving can affect the micronutrient mobilization from biochar. Two different sewage sludge biochars (differing in the pyrolysis temperature, 520 and 620 ℃) were incubated for 15 days and micronutrients were extracted by water. The experiment showed very variable results regarding the individual micronu...

Background and Aims The accuracy of environmental risk assessment depends upon the selection of appropriate matrices to extract the most risk-relevant portion of contaminant(s) from the soil. Here we applied the chelatants Na-EDTA and tartaric acid (along with a H2O control) to extract a metal-contaminated soil (Cd, Cu, Pb & Zn). Methods Pistia str...

Although domestic cats are one of the most popular companion animals, current knowledge on the fate of micronutrients in cats according to their age, sex, and health is very limited. In this study, 72 whole blood and 54 plasma samples from cats of different ages and sex were collected at three veterinary offices in the Czech Republic, and the coppe...

The North Bohemian Brown Coal Basin (Czech Republic) is suggested as a source of significant pollution in the surrounding environment with various pollutants, including risk elements. A total of 53 sampling points were selected within the North Bohemian region. The selected sampling points represented either the basin areas (affected by the coal mi...

Biochar made-up of dry olive residue (DOR), a biomass resulting from the olive oil extraction industry, has been proposed to be used as a reclamation agent for the recovery of metal contaminated soils. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the soil application of DOR-based biochar alone or in combination with arbuscular mycorrhiza...

The aims of this study were: i) to specify real risk elemetnt (RE) uptake by wild terresrrial mammals ( A. sylvaticus and M. arvalis ), ii) to describe RE distribution in critical organs such as liver and kidney, and iii) to determine potencial differences in RE toxicokinetics with regards to individual species or sex. Three groups of experimental...

The phytoextraction potential of short-rotation field coppice plantations was investigated on soil historically contaminated with risk elements (REs), especially Cd, Pb and Zn. The main objective of the study was to assess the effect of biomass harvest time (summer harvest versus traditional winter one) on biomass yield, REs accumulation and remova...

Long-term brown coal mining contributes to risk element contents in soils surrounding coal basins. However, there is a lack of bioaccessibility characterization of the risk elements in the soils at the impacted locations for estimation of the potential health risk, in relation to the effects of soil particle size and element origin. In this study,...

The status of macronutrients phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulphur (S), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) was assessed 15 years after the establishment of a long-term crop rotation and soil tillage trial with mouldboard ploughing (MP), no-till (NT), deep conservation tillage (CTd) and shallow conservation tillage (CTs). The mobile proportions of mac...

Sewage sludge belongs to the waste materials containing a high amount of phosphorus and its production is growing steadily. Safe application is extremely important because sludge as the end-product of wastewater treatment contains not only nutrients, but also a wide range of contaminants from humans' activities. Therefore, different treatments are...

Two types of sewage sludge-based biochar (differing in the pyrolysis temperature, 520 and 620 ℃) were used for the tomato seeds germination bioassay to assess the potential harmful effect of the biochar. Sterilised and non-sterilised sewage sludge biochar samples were incubated (15 days to provide conditions for native microbial growth), biochar pH...

Tapeworms parasitize at sites that are important for the management of micronutrients, including zinc. Therefore, it has been hypothesized that tapeworms will significantly affect the excretion of zinc in the feces of a host. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects that tapeworms have on the excretion of zinc in the feces of the host. Rats...

PurposeThe combination of chemostabilization and phytoextraction provide an affordable and environmentally effective remediation technology for the heavy metals in contaminated soils. The purpose of this study was to investigate how biochar applications in heavily contaminated alluvium soils reduced the toxic effects of heavy metal (Cd, Pb, Zn) and...

The impacts of plant-associated Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, strain FZB42 RhizoVital 42® (RV) on the yield and macronutrient content of tomato plants was investigated in a pot trial in a low-nutrient soil with and without the addition of compost and vermicompost amendments composed of mixtures of cow manure, vegetation and wastepaper. Plant uptake o...

Purpose The recent literature indicates that, depending on the feedstocks and pyrolysis temperature, biochar can be a good source of nutrients. On the contrary, some biochars are not good sources of available carbon and other nutrients, but their porous structure seems to be a suitable microenvironment for microbial colonization. We investigated th...

This study aimed on the increasing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of maize via the use of high temperature produced biochar (700 °C). Maize was grown to maturity on two contrasting soils (acidic Cambisol and neutral Chernozem) in pots with a treatment of biochar co-applied with ammonium sulphate stabilised by a nitrification inhibitor (3,4-dimethylp...

The city of Litvínov (North Bohemia, Czech Republic) is seriously affected by coal mining, coal processing, and intensive industrial activities. Within the urban area, the potential environmental hazard of risk elements (in soil and vegetation) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, in soils) was estimated using selected environmental and huma...

Low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) are common and abundant compounds in the environment, responsible for the release of the nutrients from rhizosphere into the soil solution and, therefore, facilitating the availability of these nutrients for plants. Sewage sludge biochar (SSB) is considered to be a potential source of phosphorus (P) in so...

The application of bone char to soil could increase soil fertility (as it is rich source of predominantly P), but its sorption ability determines its potential use for the remediation of risk element contaminated soils. This study aimed on the assessment of bone char effect on soil available content of Cr and Zn in laboratory incubation experiment....

Sterilisation process like autoclaving as well incubation conditions can affect the distribution of phosphorus (P) forms in biochar. Sterilised and non-sterilised sewage sludge biochar samples (differing in the pyrolysis temperature) were incubated (15 days), and sequential extraction procedure was applied for an assessment of the P fractionation i...

Fertilization is a worldwide agricultural practice used in agronomy to increase crop yields. Fertilizer application influences overall soil characteristics, including soil microbial community composition and metabolic processes mediated by microbial enzymatic activity. Changes in the structure of microbial communities and their metabolic activity a...

Biosolids were applied as a fertilizer after drying, torrefaction (220, 320 °C), and pyrolysis (420, 520, 620 °C). Lettuce was grown on contrasting soils, and the transfer of pharmaceuticals to aboveground biomass was assessed. Of 42 compounds detected in dried biosolids, 10 were found in lettuce. Their potency for translocation to aerial parts was...

An understanding of how fertilization influences endophytes is crucial for sustainable agriculture, since the manipulation of the plant microbiome could affect plant fitness and productivity. This study was focused on the response of microbial communities in the soil and tubers to the regular application of manure (MF; 330 kg N/ha), sewage sludge (...

The purpose of the study was to understand the mechanisms of biochar-induced changes in the available content of aluminum (Al), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn) in a wide range of soils. Five soils from different regions of the Czech Republic were incubated for 12 weeks with four rates of biochar (0.5%, 2%, 4%, and 8% w/w)....

Pyrolysis is a promising technology for sewage sludge (SS) treatment providing several improvements of SS properties for soil application. However, information on the influence of pyrolytic temperature on the availability of nutrients in resulting biochar (BC) is limited. In this study, anaerobically stabilised SS was pyrolysed in a laboratory fixe...

The Mediterranean countries are the largest producers of olives with Spain taking the lead in olive oil production. A two-phase extraction system is used to produce oil and dry olive residue (DOR), a waste product. DOR biochar was tested as an amendment for contaminated soils to reduce the trace element (TE) contents in crops. A DOR sample was tran...

Effective recycling of phosphorus (P) remains a critical issue in sustainable agriculture. Wood ash represents valuable soil amendment and potential source of P for agriculture, but its solubility and subsequent P-fertilisation efficiency is extremely low. This study tested fungal inoculants (Penicillium sp. PK112 and Trichoderma harzianum OMG08) a...

We investigated sulphate application, different statuses of soil microbial activity and their joint effects as variables associated with changes in potentially plant-available selenium (Se_ppa) and soil Se fractionation during the course of an incubation study. The time-resolved behaviour of added selenate (400 µg Se/kg as Na₂S...

Metal-polluted soils represent hostile environments affecting the composition and functions of soil microbial communities. This study evaluated the implication of combining the mycoremediated dry olive residue (MDOR) amendment application with the inoculation of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) Funneliformis mosseae in restoring the quality,...

The establishment of phytoextraction crops on highly contaminated soils can be limited by metal toxicity. A recent proposal has suggested establishing support crops during the critical initial phase by metal immobilization through soil amendments followed by subsequent mobilization using elemental sulphur to enhance phytoextraction efficiency. This...

The potential environmental hazards of risk elements in the area affected by the opencast coal mine and/or coal combustion for plants and animals was assessed by using a suite of laboratory bioaccessibility tests. The chosen sampling area was in the vicinity of the largest coal mine spoil in the Sokolov coal basin (Czech Republic). For an estimatio...

The risk element accumulation ability of two groups of epigeic species, insects from families Coleoptera and Hymenoptera (namely Formicidae), was determined and related to soil risk element content and bioaccessibility. The study was conducted in the district of Příbram, Czech Republic, which was characterised by extremely high aged pollution in th...

Biochar effect was determined by soil properties and behavior of specific element. Biochar induced an increment of available As content in alkaline soil. However, the available concentration of Cd and Mn significantly decreased in most cases especially in acidic soils. It is always important to investigate the specific properties of biochar as well...

Purpose The majority of biochar studies use soils with only a narrow range of properties making generalizations about the effects of biochar on soils difficult. In this study, we aimed to identify soil properties that determine the performance of biochar produced at high temperature (700 °C) on soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and exchangea...