INTERACTIONS AMONG SOIL NITROGEN AT DIFFERENT DEPTHS AND VEGETATION FEATURES IN LOWLAND GRASSLANDS FROM WESTERN ROMANIA

• Published in: International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference : SGEM Vol. 17; pp. 585 - 592
• Main Authors: Pirsan, Delia, Rusu, Tiberiu
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Sofia Surveying Geology & Mining Ecology Management (SGEM) 01.01.2017
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Agricultural practices; Agriculture; Arable land; Biodiversity; Case studies; Composition; Depletion; Fertilization; Fertilizers; Forbs; Grasses; Grasslands; Intensive farming; Interactions; Leaching; Legumes; Nitrates; Nitrites; Nitrogen; Nitrogen content; Plant cover; Soil; Soils; Species richness; Vegetation; Vegetation cover; Romania
• ISSN: 1314-2704
• DOI: 10.5593/sgem2017H/33

In western Romania, respectively the lowland area of this region the main grassland habitats are steppe and forest steppe grassland. Most of the land from this region is arable, the grassland patches being scattered in variable surfaces near to the inhabited area. These are used mainly for grazing by the cattle and flocks of the community. Some small grassland surfaces are mown for hay. Most of the arable land is cultivated in an intensive manner, this agricultural practice influencing the biotope and biocoenose of the grassland patches found in their vicinity. One of the most problems created by intensive agriculture is the excessive fertilisation with nitrogen; respectively it's leaching. The researches were developed in 2014-2016 period in four localities from Timiş County, respectively Voiteg, Gătaia, Roviniţa Mică and Partoş. Every location has three replicates for the vegetation and soil samples. The vegetation plots were analysed using the method Braun-Blanquet. The grassland vegetation cover from the analysed plots from all the locations can be framed in two typological groups according with Ţucra et al. (1987) classification of the Romanian grassland. The grassland vegetation from Partoş and Roviniţa Mică are framed in the intrazonal grasslands type, respectivelly halophyllic grasslands, Puccinelia limosa series, Festuca pseudovina - Artemisia maritima type. The grassland vegetation from Gătaia and Voiteg are framed as zonal grasslands, respectivelly forrest steppe grasslands, Festuca pseudovina series, Festuca pseudovina - Achillea setacea type, Lolium perenne subtype. The investivated vegetation features were biodiversity (species richness, Shannon and Simpson index) floristic composition (grasses, legumes, rushes and sedges and forbs) both as species number and specific contribution and pastoral value. The soil samples were collected from the analysed plots, there being determined the content in nitrates and nitrites. The soil content in nitrates and nitrites was correlated with the grassland vegetation features. The obtained results show that the nitrogen content from the grasslands soil is low even in the surrounding arable land are applied high amounts of fertilisers. This fact is due to the absence of the fertilisation on the grasslands for decades, this leading to the depletion of the soil nitrogen content.