ALBERT

Description: When the landfill use comes to end, important subsequent steps include aftercare, safety assurance, and ecological regeneration. Landfill revegetation is cost-effective and eco-friendly approach in the management of landfill areas, which serves the purpose of stabilization and provides a pleasant landscape. There are various vegetation types that can be planted, yet grass species are often used for low-cost reasons. Plants can be important sources of air pollution, particularly by grass pollen. The main goal of our study was to identify plant species that produce allergenic pollen. Long-term vegetation monitoring took place on three sites in the growing seasons of years 2008–2018. Studied objects were landfills located in the Czech Republic. The vegetation was assessed using a floristic survey of identified plant species. Plant species that produced allergens were recorded. During the monitoring, 298 plant species were determined. Plant species with allergenic pollen have a considerable share in the landfill vegetation. Thus, landfills are potential sources of various kinds of allergenic pollen. Moreover, our results indicated that there are three periods of pollen production: early spring, late spring, and early summer; late summer; and autumn. The second period is typical for the production of highly allergenic pollen by grasses. Most detected plant species with allergenic pollen are common for all monitored sites, which demonstrates that the vegetation of landfills is a significant source of allergenic pollen.

Description: Viticulture, as a large part of the agriculture sector of the South Moravian Region, represents significant erosion-prone land use in which soils face various agronomic issues, such as poor organic carbon levels, erosion, and fertility loss. Service crops providing a so-called ecosystem service can reduce erosion and runoff, regulate pests and weeds and increase soil organic matter and fertility. However, these crops may generate some disservices, such as water and nutrient competition; and thus, it is important for winegrowers to find applicable options for service crops depending on local soil, climate conditions, and the expected service. Inter-row management in the South Moravian Region varies from bare soils to grass cover to different types of cover with herbaceous (flowering) species. A total of 113 vineyard sites were evaluated during the years 2016 and 2017. This study presents the actual state of inter-row management in vineyards and comparison within six wine-growing regions. A two-year evaluation shows significant differences in prevalent greening management between regions. Bare soil in vineyards, the most erosion-prone vineyard floor management, appear from 10% (e.g., Bzenec, Valtice) to 19% (e.g., Mikulov, V. Bílovice) of vineyard area within evaluated regions. Bare soil management is mostly used in new plantations to reduce water and nutrient competition; however, the erosion and the runoff rates are generally higher on this variant compared to other types of cover crop management, especially on slopes. Although, alternate greening is the most used type occurring from 50% to 74% of vineyards area in five of the six selected regions, the type of inter-row vegetation differs considerably. While in Bzenec and Mikulov there is a higher appearance of herbaceous cover with native species in later succession stages, in Velké Bílovice and Valtice grass cover and commercial plant mixtures are more frequent. Knowledge current stage can be useful for planning new plantation or anti-erosion measures.

Description: Urban green infrastructure significantly influences the functioning of a city and the comfort of its residents. Lawns are an essential element of public greenery. They represent a live component, and if they are lacking, of low quality, or neglected, this will cause major problems in the urban environment. The vegetation structure of urban grassy areas changes under the influence of different management methods used for their maintenance. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the species diversity of urban lawns and to determine the influence of this vegetation on factors based on the representation of the species found. Three sites with urban lawns were chosen in a built-up city area where different types of vegetation management were applied: Typical management, in which grassy areas are mowed twice a year; intensive management, in which lawns are mowed several times a year and the biomass is removed; and extensive management, in which lawns are mowed irregularly, once a year at most, and the biomass is left unevenly on the site. Extensive management and unkempt urban grassy areas represent a high risk of fire due to the presence of plant species that produce great amounts of biomass. Combined with dry and warm weather, the dead biomass can lead to outbreaks of fire. Extensive management of urban grassy areas brings some benefits, such as lower maintenance costs and increased biodiversity and bioretention. On the other hand, intensive management reduces the risk of fire and the biodiversity of the plant community. Attention should be paid to the composition of vegetative species and their functions that could threaten the safety of residents, with the risk of fire being one of them. However, the vegetation biomass of grassy areas affected by management practices is only a precondition for the risk of fire because weather and drought occurrence play important roles as well.