Temperature and water potential of grey clays in relation to their physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics and phytocoenology within the scope of the Radovesice Dump

Abstract

Radovesice Dump is a part of brown-coal Most basin, which is situated in the northern part of the Czech Republic. Grey clays are the anthropogenic substrates, which have been used here as a reclamation material in most cases. Water potential of these substrates corresponds to their physical properties, annual precipitation, soil temperature and terrain exposition. All of these characteristics are the limiting factors of soil water, which is available to plants. Area left to spontaneous succession and reclaimed area served as the serviced ones. Water potential was studied in three depths (10, 20 and 30 cm) of soil profile and the evaluated values showed significant difference between individual depths as well as exposition. As far as chemical analyses are concerned, the highest values were recorded in case of reclaimed area, whereas the levels of soil moisture here were medium. On the other hand, area left to spontaneous succession showed the lowest values in this sense, however specific representation of vegetation was much large-scale. As far as microbiological characteristics are concerned, the concentrations of phospholipid fatty acids were relatively low in both cases. To the dominant herb species belonged Calamagrostis epigejos , Urtica dioica , Alopecurus pratensis and Astragalus glycyphyllos . It was found that spontaneous succession was more variable as far as the specific representation of vegetation is concerned, though favourable soil physical and chemical properties were provided by technical reclamation too.