Josef Holec’s research while affiliated with Czech University of Life Sciences Prague and other places

Soil-water practice is essential for farm sustainability, thereby establishing the reference level for agricultural policy of the European Union (EU). This paper focuses on the critical gap in the knowledge surrounding comparison of soil-water effects of Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) and carbon farming. We aim to interrogate the tasks assigned to soil-water standards during the 2005–2020 timeframe and identify soil-water effects under selected soil-water GAEC topics. The farm-level and landscape-scale effects were weighed for each standard. The investigation included an extensive meta-review of documents that featured scientific work on sustainable practice. In each GAEC document, soil-water sustainability was weighed vis-a-vis carbon farming. Our main finding was that the identification of soil-water effects within GAEC was addressed both at farm-enterprise level (E) and landscape scale (L). This identification was very similar among the sampled Member States (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia). A small differentiation was detected in how exact the guidance under each standard was in each of these Member States, and hence how the prioritization was scored, ranging from 1, most influential, to 5, least influential. The scores that prevailed were 2.5–5 on the part of the scoring instrument. Carbon farming is a welcome addition to the corpus of good farming practice and is complementary to GAEC.

Building on the agri-environment framework in Central and Eastern Europe, the article emphasizes the role and the use of the agri-environment in provision of different ecosystem services. It shows that relevant conservation measures with regard to ameliorating soil degradation contribute to the existence of sustainable land systems. In our study, we (i) identified what the soil water aggregate means, (ii) reviewed how agri-environment schemes (AES) function to support soil water requirements, and (iii) how appropriate soils are identified with regard to the implementation of soil conservation under the agri-environment. Empirical data were surveyed to assess AES as the pivotal subsidy in four countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Quantitative data were assessed to contribute to evidence on and the expenditure effect of the measures. This review found that AES schemes in arable land systems implement several approaches such as cover crops and the reversion of arable land systems to grassland. The costs of AE measures reflect the costs of the particular agri-environmental practice and its constraints on commercial performance by the farmer. The AES budget analysis showed that subsidization moderately increased over the 2000–2020 time frame. However, the magnitude of the AES budget is still largely overshadowed by generic subsidies at farm level.

The book describes the system of integrated pest management of vegetable crops in accordance with the rules of the Directive 2009/128/ES and requirements of national legislation. It takes into consideration also the challenges and new conditions, including the strategic documents of the EU as the “Green Deal” and “Farm to Fork Strategy”. It is a source of information, instruction and action to prevent or minimize losses caused by pest and pathogenic organisms and abiotic factors of vegetable. It contains information about risk of pesticides on the environment, biodiversity, natural enemies and human health and about possibilities to minimize the risk. The information about the ecologization of growing conditions of vegetable and application of control measures for reduction of usage of risk synthetic pesticides is presented. The principles of control of vegetable grown in the glasshouses and means of control against pest and diseases using the biological and non-chemical methods are also presented in the book. The introductory part of the book describes the changes in spectrum of pest organisms and their reasons, and invasive and expansive pest species, pathogens and weeds are described. The principles of integrated pest management and systems of integrated and organic production of vegetables are described. The principles of growing measures, including the influence of fertilization and irrigation are described. The separate chapters are dedicated to varieties of vegetable resistant to pathogens and pests, methods of monitoring, technics of pest control and basis of economics of growing vegetable. Further, biological, and nonchemical methods and means utilized in pest control in vegetable are described and basic of natural enemies of pests and pollinators are characterized as well as possibilities of their support. The principles of application of pesticides are completed with complex of action for regulation of residues of pesticides in vegetable and knowledge about resistance of pest to pesticides. The separate chapter is dedicated to injury of vegetable caused by abiotic factors, including nutritional malformation and damage caused by herbicides. The main part of the book is divided according to species or vegetable groups as brassica vegetables, bulb vegetables, root vegetables, salad and other leafy vegetables, tomato, pepper, cucumber and other squash vegetables, sweet corn and legume vegetables. For each pathogen and animal pest, spectrum of host plants, symptom of injury, epidemiology or life cycles, economic importance, methods of monitoring and means of control, including recommended examples of active substances of pesticides or their groups are presented. For each species or group of vegetable, the means for prevention or suppression of diseases and pests and also spectrum of the most important weeds and the means for their prevention are presented. The book is enriched with number of original pictures, enabling the orientation in the determination of pests and diseases of vegetable and symptoms of their injuries. Large number of pictures presents the abiotic injuries and the most important weeds in vegetables, including the injuries caused by herbicides. Weed control methods for most of cited vegetables are described including suitable herbicides, application rates and terms. The book is addressed to vegetable growers, advisors, researchers, teachers and students, experts and amateurs, gardeners and all interested persons for live nature and for maintenance of appearance of agriculture landscape.

In this review, we aim to contribute to knowledge on renewable energy from the agricultural sector. Our focus is on understanding the environmental effects of maize, grass, and sorghum, which are used as raw material for biogas digestion. The reason why we focused on the energy prospects of these crops as potential diversification in ensuring viable farm businesses is the fact that in the European Union (EU) considerable amounts of public funding are dedicated to biogas production. Such facilities are funded according to rural development priorities that focus on achieving farm competitiveness and protecting, restoring and enhancing ecosystems. To understand the weightings is important because of EU renewable energy legislation. We investigated the benefits and disbenefits of the crop choices at farm level considering the energy impacts, soil ecosystem services and productivity under the circumstance of climate change. We offer a note of caution about the lack of synchronization between energy production and soil effects. In particular, soil erosion risks are associated with upland farms that specialize in maize production in Less Favoured Areas. Sorghum is much promoted but the comparative advantages and disadvantages of the given crops have not yet been sufficiently emphasized by government advisories. Therefore, weighing the benefits and disbenefits of sorghum when compared with the default crops, such as maize and grass, must be carried out in respect of ecosystem services, especially soil ecosystem services. This means that biogas production, especially in Less Favoured Area farms must therefore be balanced with regard to either synergies or trade-offs with economic and soil conservation factors, and not cause adverse effects on soil and environment.

The aim of the study was to estimate changes in the floristic composition near Švýcárna lodge (1304 m a.s.l.), where cattle grazing after a long-term management cessation was introduced on a pasture area of 3.6 ha in 2012. The pasture was divided into two grazing sub-localities: P1 (Nar) with dominance of Nardus stricta and Avenella flexuosa and P2 (Des) with dominance of Deschampsia cespitosa . For grazing, Highland Cattle was used with a stocking rate up to 1 livestock unit per ha and year. The floristic composition was evaluated and statistically analyzed. After six years of restored grazing the overall species richness enhanced and a higher dominance of rare and endangered species was found. The dominance of some common species like Vaccinium myrtillus , and Calamagrostis villosa tended to decrease within a grazing period in favor of new species colonisation.

Long-term national European weed surveys, large scale classical phytosociological programs and camera-based documentation systems lead to results which can be documented in form of maps. Comparisons of these visual representations of relative weed positions can be used for the prediction of changing weed spectra and of plant biodiversity changes. Statistical methods connected with mapping software are used for the analysis of environmental factors and of farm managing practices influencing the occurrence of weeds. Maps produced by sensor-driven weed detection devices still differ considerably from maps produced via classical phytosociological approaches. Computer algorithms may allow the precise identification of some weeds in camera images. The present technical solutions are, however, still far from those achieved by experienced botanists. Many weed detection tools based on algorithms are not able to distinguish between closely related weeds yet. A few European countries have a long tradition of surveying weeds in major crops by traditional tools. Various software packages are employed for the analysis, documentation and visualisation of survey results. Large scale comprehensive maps including the infestation of crops over different countries are, however, often biased as not every national research group uses the same methods for the assessment of weed infestation. The ranking of the most common species seems, however, to allow comparable conclusions. The recognition of trends in spectrum changes can only be derived from long term studies as we see it. Our review reflects discussions within the Weed Mapping Working Group of the European Weed Research Society over the last ten years. We try to identify new research trends and to respond accordingly with new research projects. What we see today is a shift from traditional mapping approaches towards the use of digital devices as for example in precision farming projects. Another issue of increasing importance is the mapping of herbicide resistant biotypes.