Pedosphere Research, vol. 2, 2022, no. 2: 74-85
Original paper
PEDOCLIMATIC CONDITIONS OF BLACK WALNUT (Juglans Nigra L.) USED FOR AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS IN SLOVAKIA
Jaroslava Sobocká1, Martin Saksa1, Michal Pástor2,3, Eva Pekárová1
1National Agricultural and Food Centre – Soil Science and Conservation Research Institute Bratislava, Slovak Republic
2National Forest Centre – Forest Research Institute Zvolen, Slovak Republic
3Technical University in Zvolen, Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Slovak Republic
Corresponding Author: doc. RNDr. Jaroslava Sobocká, CSc., National Agricultural and Food Centre, Soil Science and Conservation Research Institute, Trenčianska 55, 821 09 Bratislava, Slovakia, e-mail: jaroslava.sobocka@nppc.sk, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5471-1519
Citation:
Sobocká, J., Saksa, M., Pástor, M., Pekárová, E. (2022). Pedoclimatic conditions of black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) used for agroforestry systems in Slovakia. Pedosphere Research, vol. 2, 2022, no. 2, pp. 74 – 85. NPPC – VÚPOP 2022. ISSN 2729–8728.
https://doi.org/10.64122/j.pedosres.2022.02.06
Abstract
The possibilities of using black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) from a production-ecological point of view in agroforestry systems in Slovakia were tested on the pilot research-demonstration plot of Kosihy nad Ipľom. This tree is a woody plant that is growing to a lesser extent in forest stands but it can be found also in ornamental gardens and parks. However, its potential for agroforestry systems use in the framework of sustainable management of agricultural land has not yet been re-evaluated. It can generate very interesting and promising commodities for farmers, both in terms of fruit production and high-quality wood that is well monetized on the market. The methodology is based on the identification of agro-ecological conditions of black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) growing and proposal of areas suitable for these trees planting (ranked as very suitable, suitable, and unsuitable). The land evaluation units – BPEJs
(© VÚPOP Bratislava) were separately evaluated based on several major land properties like climate region, soil type, soil texture, sloppiness, exposition, and skeleton content. The ArcGIS mapping software system was applied for the map of suitability of agricultural land for the cultivation of black walnut. Soil survey was supported by soil sampling and analyses of soil properties. By results only 610,000 ha from agricultural land acreage are very suitable for black walnut cultivation in Slovak Republic, and 765,000 ha are moderately suitable. This identification of areas can support the creation of methodologies modifying national legislation that allow the creation of agroforestry systems in Slovakia in accordance with the European Union legal order.
Keywords: black walnut (Juglans nigra L.), agroforestry, suitability of agricultural land in Slovakia