FOLIA GEOGRAPHICA

Menu

FOLIA GEOGRAPHICA 2013 (22), LV., pp. 95-107

Pôdne Vlastnosti v Suchom Poldri Beša

The Soil Properties in the Dry Polder Beša

Dana Kotorová A*, Ladislav Kováč B

Received: May 30, 2013 | Revised: July 15, 2013 | Accepted: September 10, 2013

A* Agroecology Research Institute (ARI) in Michalovce, Špitálska 1273, 071 01 Michalovce, Slovakia
kotorova@minet.sk (corresponding author)
B Agroecology Research Institute (ARI) in Michalovce, Špitálska 1273, 071 01 Michalovce, Slovakia
kovac@minet.sk

PDF FULL TEXT

Abstract

The dry polder Beša is a significant area in the Slovak Republic. In 2009, the project “Quantification of Non-Production Functions of Soil and Land in Dry Polder Beša” was completed in this area. In 2012, a new project, “Analysis of Soil Properties and Landscape Development of Non-Regularly Overflowed Areas,” began, building on the previous research. This project focuses on quantifying changes in soil properties in the Beša polder following the flooding in 2010. Soil parameters, including particle-size composition, bulk density, total porosity, maximum capillary capacity, and non-capillary porosity, were measured in four soil profiles at depths of 0.0–0.6 m, with intervals of 0.2 m. In 2012, the clay particle content ranged from 24.88% to 78.05%, classifying the soil as sandy-loamy to clay. A ground survey conducted in 2012 confirmed the high spatial soil heterogeneity observed in 2009. The 2010 flooding contributed to an increase in soil bulk density and a decrease in total porosity. In 2012, the maximum capillary capacity was reduced by approximately 1.65% compared to 2009, and a decrease in non-capillary porosity was also observed. These findings suggest negative changes in soil properties following the flooding of the Beša polder area.

Key words: Floods, soil properties, soil textures

Summary

The Soil Properties in the Dry Polder Beša

Flooding has been a long-standing issue in many regions, occurring when rivers overflow onto the soil surface due to insufficient water flow management or inadequate rainfall runoff. In lowland areas, rivers often traverse agricultural landscapes, which are heavily utilized, leading to significant damage during floods. The waters of the East Slovak Lowland (ESL) belong to the Bodrog River basin, where the rivers Latorica, Laborec, Uh, and Ondava converge over a small area to form the Bodrog River. These rivers exhibit a rain-snow hydrological regime, with peak discharge in spring and low discharge in late summer and early autumn. In recent decades, flooding in the ESL has become more frequent, driven by meteorological conditions in spring, but also influenced by changes in physical and hydro-physical soil properties due to flooding.

Flooding often leads to adverse changes in soil properties, creating an unfavorable balance between water and air in the soil profile. To mitigate flood impacts in the Medzibodrožie region, dry polders were constructed on the East Slovak Lowland to retain floodwater during isolated flood events with maximum water discharge. These polders are drained as water levels in the Laborec River recede, allowing cultivation once the polder dries. The Beša dry polder, located in the southeast part of the East Slovak Lowland near Beša village, spans 1,568 ha with a retention capacity of 53 million m³, making it the largest dry polder in Central Europe. It encompasses the cadastral territories of Beša, Oborín, and Ižkovce villages. Since its commissioning in 1965, the Beša polder has been saturated seven times, most recently in 2010, with the highest retention volumes recorded in 1974 (83.02%) and 2000 (78.11%).

In 2009, the project “Quantification of Non-Production Functions of Soil and Land in Dry Polder Beša” concluded in this area. Building on this work, a new project, “Analysis of Soil Properties and Landscape Development of Non-Regularly Overflowed Areas,” began in 2012, focusing on changes in soil properties following the 2010 flooding. Soil parameters were measured in four soil profiles at depths of 0.0–0.6 m, with intervals of 0.2 m, including particle-size composition, bulk density, total porosity, maximum capillary capacity, and non-capillary porosity.

In 2009, the clay particle content ranged from 23.89% to 76.50%, classifying the soil as sandy-loamy to clay. In 2012, this range was 24.88% to 78.05%, indicating no significant change in soil texture. However, a ground survey in 2012 confirmed the high spatial soil heterogeneity observed in 2009. The 2010 flooding led to an increase in soil bulk density and a decrease in total porosity. In 2012, the maximum capillary capacity decreased by approximately 1.65% compared to 2009, and a statistically non-significant reduction in non-capillary porosity was also observed. These changes were significantly influenced by the clay particle content in the soil profile.

The results suggest that flooding in the Beša polder area has induced negative changes in soil properties. The development of physical and hydro-physical properties of soil textures in the Beša polder will be the subject of further research.

REFERENCES

  1. Demo, M., Bielek, P. et al. (2000): *Regulačné technológie v produkčnom procese poľnohospodárskych plodín*. 1. vydanie, Nitra: SPU Nitra a VÚPOP Bratislava, 667 s., ISBN 80-7137-732-5.
  2. Fulajtár, E. (1986): *Fyzikálne vlastnosti pôd Slovenska, ich úprava a využitie*. 1. vydanie, Bratislava: Veda, 156 s.
  3. Guspan, J., Forgáč, K., Zrubec, F. (1975): *Zúrodňovanie ťažkých pôd*. 1. vydanie, Bratislava: Príroda, 219 s.
  4. Hrivňáková, K., Makovníková, J. et al. (2011): *Jednotné pracovné postupy rozborov pôd*. 1. vydanie, Bratislava: Výskumný ústav pôdoznalectva a ochrany pôdy, 136 s., ISBN 978-80-89128-89-1.
  5. Kotorová, D., Šoltysová, B., Mati, R. (2010): *Vlastnosti fluvizemí na Východoslovenskej nížine pri ich rozdielnom obrábaní*. 1. vydanie, Michalovce: CVRV – Výskumný ústav agroekológie, 160 s., ISBN 978-80-89417-25-4.
  6. Kotorová, D., Mati, R., Kováč, L., Šoltysová, B. (2010): Možnosti mimoprodukčného využívania poldra Beša. *Folia Oecologica*, Vol. 51, No. 3, s. 74–88.
  7. Kotorová, D., Jakubová, J., Kováč, L. (2011): Dependence of heavy soil transport function on soil profile depth. *Agriculture (Poľnohospodárstvo)*, Vol. 57, No. 2, s. 45–52, DOI: 10.2478/v10207-011-0005-0.
  8. Kováč, L., Mati, R., Kotorová, D., Hnát, A. (2007): Využitie trvalých trávnych porastov v suchom poldri Beša. In: *Ekológia trávneho porastu VII: Zborník príspevkov z medzinárodnej vedeckej konferencie*. Banská Bystrica: SCPV – VÚTPHP, s. 310–313, ISBN 978-80-88872-69-6.
  9. Kováč, L., Kotorová, D. (2008): Landscape area of dry polder Beša and its use. In: *ECOMIT*. Piešťany: SCPV – VÚRV Piešťany, s. 132–136, ISBN 978-80-969603-1-6.
  10. Kutílek, M. (1978): *Vodohospodářská pedologie*. 2. prepracované vydanie, Praha: SNTL/ALFA, 296 s.
  11. Španik, F., Šiška, B., Tomlain, J. (2002): Rámcový dohovor OSN o klimatickej zmene z pohľadu slovenského hospodárstva. In: *Očakávané zmeny klímy a ich možný dopad na vodný režim, poľné a lesné hospodárstvo*. Nitra: Slovenská akadémia pôdohospodárskych vied, s. 4–15, ISBN 80-968665-3-2.
  12. Šútor, J., Mati, R., Ivančo, J., Gomboš, M., Kupčo, M., Šťastný, P. (1995): *Hydrológia Východoslovenskej nížiny*. Michalovce: Media Group, 467 s., ISBN 80-88835-00-3.
  13. Šútor, J., Gomboš, M., Mati, R., Ivančo, J. (2002): *Charakteristiky zóny aerácie ťažkých pôd Východoslovenskej nížiny*. 1. vydanie, Bratislava: ÚH SAV, Michalovce: OVÚA, 216 s., ISBN 80-968480-08-9.
  14. Šútor, J., Nagy, V., Štekauerová, V. (2009): Kvantifikácia objemovej hmotnosti pôdy a jej vplyv na retenciu vody v pôde v podmienkach monitorovaných lokalít v Hurbanove. *Acta Hydrologia Slovaca*, Vol. 10, No. 1, s. 109–120.
  15. Vilček, J. (1998): Interpretácia bonitácie pôd na Východoslovenskej nížine. In: *Trvalo udržateľný rozvoj poľnohospodárskej výroby na regionálnej úrovni*. Michalovce: OVÚA, s. 207–212.
  16. Vilček, J. (2005): Pedogeografické špecifiká pôd Východoslovenskej nížiny. In: *Realizáciou poznatkov vedy a výskumu k trvalo udržateľnému poľnohospodárstvu*. Michalovce: VÚRV – ÚA, s. 93–97, ISBN 80-88790-40-9.
  17. Vološ, V. (2009): Polder Beša ako súčasť protipovodňovej ochrany Východoslovenskej nížiny. In: *Mimoprodukčné funkcie pôdy a krajiny na územiach ovplyvňovaných antropogénnou činnosťou*. Vedecká konferencia s medzinárodnou účasťou, Michalovce: CVRV – VÚA Michalovce, s. 243–250, ISBN 978-80-89417-09-4.
  18. Zaujec, A., Chlpík, J., Nádašský, J., Szombathová, N., Tobiašová, E. (2009): *Pedológia a základy geológie*. 1. vydanie, Nitra: Slovenská poľnohospodárska univerzita v Nitre, 400 s., ISBN 978-80-552-0207-5.