Agronomy journal, Vol. 67 No. 2-4, 2005.
Conference paper
Causes of lawn and ornamental plants degradation at the Patriotic War Memorial Cemetery in Vukovar
Tomislav Ćosić
Lepomir Čoga
N.. Potočić
Mirjana Herak Ćustić
Milan Poljak
Marko Petek
Tea Horvat
Abstract
The aim of the research was to find the reasons for lawn and ornamental plants degradation at the Patriotic War Memorial Cemetery in Vukovar. For this purpose, three representative pedological profiles were opened, from which soil samples were taken for physical and chemical analyses. Seven average soil samples were also taken for determining soil chemical properties and the plant nutrition capacity. Physical and chemical properties of the soil were analyzed in the Department of Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, by standard analytical methods.
Analyses of the soil physical and chemical properties revealed considerable oversights in the soil and substrate preparation for cultivation. This primarily applies to poor soil drainage, which caused surface retention of precipitation and other waters because of the formation of a soil layer impervious to water and compactness during the dry period. Excessively high soil reaction (pH value) was also recorded as well as a relatively low plant nutrition capacity.
Due to very poor soil permeability, a pipe drainage system should be installed to enable draining of surplus water that appears in some parts of the year. Higher amounts of organic matter (cca 4-5 L/m2 peat and ca 4-5 kg/m2 ripe manure) and sand well mixed with the existing soil will increase the soil permeability, air capacity and structure stability. Specific soil volume and compactness will also be reduced. Acid Lithuanian peat will lower the pH value, while higher mineral fertilizer (mainly phosphorus) rates will raise the levels of available nutrients in soil.
Keywords
physical and chemical properties of soil; organic and mineral manure; ornamental plants
Hrčak ID:
2244
URI
Publication date:
10.5.2005.
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