Selected properties of soil in Nature Reserve Alúvium Žitavy, Slovakia, Danube plain

Abstract

Sufficient knowledge about wetlands, which belong to the most threatened ecosystems in the world, can
contribute to their maintaining or recovery. In this work selected properties of three soil profiles in Nature
Reserve Alúvium Žitavy were characterized. On studied area, the soil forming substrate was represented
by floodplain sediments of the rivers Žitava and Nitra on which Calcaric Fluvisol was developed. With
comparison to soil profiles 1 and 2 dug on the left and right bank of river Žitava, soil profile 3 dug near
confluence of the rivers Nitra and Žitava contained distinctly higher percentage of clay and had higher
porosity, pH values and higher carbonates content. On the contrary, the lowest values of hydrolytic acidity,
sum of bases, cation exchange capacity were found in soil profile 3, mainly in Fvc/Gl and Glp horizons. It
can be assumed that in this profile the majority of base cations, mainly Ca 2+ , were bound with CO 3­­­2– anions to
solid particles or were part of shell fragments. Obtained results showed, that soil properties in NR Alúvium
Žitavy were distinctly influenced by different sediments deposited by the river Nitra versus Žitava and ground
water level.